The Princess And The Prince Thief
by mellie711
Summary: (Fantasy AU)Princess Marinette is soon-to-be Queen on her 21st birthday. But the Senators of Creaturae were worried of the looming war between The Kingdom of Mortem and Creaturae. What better way then an arranged marriage between Prince Adrien and the Princess? Then there is the threat of the thief Chat Noir. Hard enough running a kingdom, but falling in love is even worse
1. It all Started With A Dance

**The Princess and The Prince-Thief**

 **Chapter One**

 **-It All Started with a Dance-**

Princess Marinette Dupain-Cheng was quite happy with her life. She lived happily in the Kingdom of Creaturae, so called for her family possessed the magical ability to bring life to even the most docile creatures (save for a few exceptions of course). She smiled happily at all her subjects, enjoying the tastes of the city and greeting all those who saw her with a wave. She felt happy as her 21st birthday drew closer, and she was to become Queen of Creaturae, taking over for her parents as they were to retire. She was even happy at the news that the mysterious hooded figure named Chat Noir, known for stealing any and all cat-like jewelry and artifacts, was apprehended last week before he managed to tackle her Kingdom of their precious jewels.

Soon enough, though, her happiness would quickly fade as the most unexpected news came from the Senators of Creaturae, a group of men and women of the people of Creaturae who helped balance out the powers of the royal family.

"AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE?!"

The young princess was wide eyed with confusion and trembling with anger, gripping the already crumbled letter tightly in her white knuckled fists. Even her jet black hair was frizzled and a mess from stress, the twin-tails she wore were almost nonexistent now. Her Lady-in-Waiting, Lady Alya Cesaire, stood at the entrance of the Princess's study, sighing deeply and shaking her head at her closest friend and student's behavior. It was understandable, of course, but still un-queenlike. Alya's job was to make Marinette ready to become Queen, and despite them being best friends for a few years now, Alya was still her mentor and had to divide the line between being a friend and being a teacher.

Marinette threw the letter in rage at the nearest trash bin, and slammed her hands on her wooden desk, causing ink to spill and papers to go flying

"They can not do this! My mother married my father, who was a common baker! Why do I have to marry a prince?!" She screamed with another bang at her now dented desk, "It's not fair!"

Alya came to the right side of her Princess, placing a hand on the girl's shoulders and saying softly, "Marinette, please, calm yourself. This is no time to throw a fit."

Taking out her handkerchief, Alya cleaned up the black ink from the floor and straightened up the beaten desk. Marinette let out a heavy breath, stabilizing herself and her mind the best she could. Alya was right, of course. This wasn't the way a Princess/ future Queen was suppose to act. But this news was unlike anything she could have imagined.

"Why though?" Marinette spoke, sitting down in the big desk chair with a loud thump of defeat, "Why now, when my birthday is in a month?"

"It seems as though the Senators felt it was necessary to make sure peace was achieved. We have been in a cold war, so to speak, with the Kingdom of Mortem for over 10 years now, you know that. King Gabriel has been gathering up allies, scheming with other Kingdoms, and toppling dynasties."

The Princess took her gaze away for a moment, remembering the day that Alya and her family came from Vulpus after the uprising there. The House of Rossi must have had help in order to overthrow the House of Cesaire. Rumors stated it was King Gabriel, but no proof came about.

Alya walked over to the trash bin and retrieved the abused letter, straightening it up and trying to read it herself. "Besides, Prince Adrien Agreste is supposedly a very handsome man. You should be happy that he even agreed to it. I heard he turned down even Princess Chloe."

Marinette groaned and rolled her eyes at the name of her most hated rival. Apis and Creaturae always threw massive parties and celebrations together, which meant Marinette had to spend time with Chloe...a lot. There was many a nights where the girls were punished for putting jelly in each other's hair and placing live small crabs down the other's dresses. Neither one of the girls knew who truly started the feud between them. Despite attempts by their parents to get the girls to get along, it never ended up that way, and Marinette usually had to spend weeks away from her most loved pastime, making outfits and designs under the eye of the Royal Tailor, and instead she had to write papers and essays on the history of Apis and Creaturae's relationship.

Alya brought Marinette back to reality with a cough and a nod to the front door, causing Marinette to jump and see her mother, Queen Sabine, standing in the doorway.

Alya bowed low, and introduced her Queen as customary, "Her Majesty, Queen Sabine."

Standing up to greet her mother with a short bow of the head, Marinette said in excitement, "Mother! I didn't think you would be back from town yet."

Confident and strong, Queen Sabine always drew respect and appreciation from all those around her, but her soft voice and warm heart was truly her most welcoming gifts. With the same dark-raven hair as her daughter, and greyish blue eyes, she was beautiful indeed, despite age and time showing upon her face. She came forward towards her daughter, glancing over at Alya with the letter in her hand, and drew a small smile as she turned to face Marinette.

"I see you got our letter, dear. I am sorry I didn't tell you personality, but we had just been told only a day ago ourselves," Sabine placed a gentle hand on her daughter's own, trying to pass reassurance through her, "That's why we went into town in the first place when we got the summons from them. We have been trying to reason with the Senators, but the law is clear. They have the power to demand certain things from us, like arranged marriages, to help stabilize the morale of the people. You know the Kingdom has been restless, with the threat of war looming over us."

Another deep breath of air escaped Marinette's lips, her mother's voice of reason only added to the fact she felt trapped. How was she supposed to marry someone she never met, let alone someone from the kingdom that has threatened war so many times? Marinette actually didn't know for sure why, her parents would never tell her. They would say they would handle the situation before Marinette would even need to worry about it.

Feeling low, Marinette felt tears fill her eyes. She reached for and grasped at her mother tightly, hugging her and burying her face within her mother's neck. "Mother, I really don't want to do this," she whispered, feeling her mother hold her closer and patting her back soothingly.

"As Queen, you are going to have to do a lot of things you don't want to do," Sabine answered, trying to cheer up her daughter, "This is a perfect test to the people to see how you respond and handle stressful situations."

She let Marinette go, keeping her at arm's length with a wide smile across her lips. "Besides, you'll get to meet Prince Adrien tonight."

"Wait-what?!" Marinette stuttered out, blinking at her mother's words.

Sabine laughed at her daughter, and looked over at Alya, "I take it you haven't gotten a chance to tell her, Lady Alya?"

Shaking her head, Alya shrugged and smirked, "She really didn't let me get there yet."

"What is going on tonight?!" Marinette asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at both her mother and her friend.

Alya shaked her finger at the Princess sternly, "If you calmed down earlier, I would have already told you." She straightened up her back, before speaking again, "The royal family of Agreste has asked to throw a celebration party here at the palace, in order for you and Prince Adrien to get to know one another as well. All the Kingdoms will attend."

Alya continued, "Speaking of, I need to finish some last minute preparations myself, if you'll excuse me."

Alya bowed goodbye to the Queen and walked out of the study to direct the house staff on the next few hours plans.

Sabine gazed over at her daughter once more, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Do not worry my dear, I know you will make us proud." She kissed her daughter on the cheek then she too, left, leaving Marinette alone with her thoughts.

Her mother's words hung heavy in her heart, as Marinette felt a knot forming in her stomach of uneasiness. She has to set an example, sure, but she felt like something else was going on in the shadows between the Kingdom of Mortem, the Senators, and her parents.

As the sun was nearing the horizon, Marinette sighed for the thousandth time that day, staring at her reflection in the mirror as one of her personal maids, Rose, was pulling Marinette's hair up in a high bun. They had already done the Princess's makeup and formal attire, going with the traditional House of Cheng cheongsam dress. It was red with elegant black spots and swirls of jewels, the house colors. A beaded Ladybug dotted the back of the dress, the creature highly beloved in the Kingdom of Creaturae.

"You look so beautiful, Your Highness!" Rose exclaimed, with giggled excitement. She looked at Marinette in the mirror, noting her Princess's long face and far off look.

"You are really lucky," Rose began, her tone low but a smirk graced her lips, placing one last bobby pin within the hair bun, "I wish I could dance with a Prince."

Marinette brought her eyes up and looked at her maid with a sympathetic smile, pushing away her own problems to assist the maid, "I promise you one thing, Rose. When I am Queen, I will let the house staff attend these balls and parties, too, so you guys can see how boring and dull they really are. And not just as maids or butlers or chefs either."

Rose giggled again, taking a step back from her work. "I know, Your Highness. You are going to be the most compassionate and caring Queen. Prince Adrien is lucky to have you."

At the mention of the Prince's name, Marinette grew disheartened once again. She stood up and looked at herself one last time in the mirror, trying to swell up the confidence and grace she knew she possessed within her.

A knock on the door caused the two girls to turn, with Marinette giving permission, "Enter."

In strolled Alya, her own house maid, Juleka, right on her heels. Alya's auburn hair was pulled into a fluffy-tail, her eyes shining a golden glimmer of excitement. Wearing a madras of gold, silver, and white, Alya looked stunningly elegant. A necklace with the House of Chesire's crest rested on her bosom, a fox of gold and white.

Rose and Juleka, their jobs complete, stood aloft from their Lady's, awaiting further action.

"Oh Marinette!" Alya exclaimed, grabbing her friend in a strong embrace," You look so amazing! You are going to blown the Prince away!"

Marinette felt even better in the arms of her friend, the security knowing that if anything were to go wrong, Alya would be there for her. "You got this, girl," Alya said, informally, with a quick wink.

"Thanks Alya; you look amazing, too," Marinette responded joyfully, smiling widely.

After excusing their maids for the evening, the girls made their way to the entrance hall of the palace to join the party. Crowds of people from all the seven kingdoms were there; talking, negotiating, and eating delicious snacks. The Kingdom of Testudo, with their powers of protection, let their most powerful wizards guard the halls entrance and exits. Music from bands visiting from the Kingdom of Ovium played upbeat violin and cello melodies. The Kingdom of Draconus had speakers and wise-men talking with all the royal families. Lastly, the Kingdom of Vulpes, where Alya was from, provided games and playful toys for younger maidens and gents.

Marinette immediately realized Chloe was here, sadly, as her loud voice of demands could be heard across the entire hall.

"I specifically said no tomatoes! It is so hard to commonors to understand these things, I swear!" The angry blonde Princess pointed at the young butler, who was actually the head of staff, holding a platter of small sandwiches, named Max. " Don't make me use my powers on you!"

Marinette swooped in with courage, Alya right behind her, to defend her house staff.

"Good evening Princess Chloe Bourgeois. If I remember correctly, you are not allowed to use your powers on my house staff, and you will treat them with respect."

Max bowed himself out, giving a mouthed 'thank you' to his highness.

Chloe dropped her hand as the butler left, turning to study Marinette up and down with a disgusted eye. Marinette puffed out her chest in defense, trying not to let her rival get to her tonight.

"Princess Marinette, how kind of you to grace us at your own party. You are going to treat dear Adrakins with respect or so help me, I will make you to jump off a cliff."

Marinette tilted her head in bewilderment, lowering her stance a little at Chloe's non-threatening threat, "Treat who with respect?"

"Prince Adrien Agreste, you dumbass!" Chloe exclaimed, stomping her foot, " Him and I have been friends for a long time, and you will do well to remember that!"

A shot of stillness overcame Princess Marinette, this realization that she was to marry someone who was friends with Chloe overtook her. She felt queasy, a sick feeling in her stomach causing her to turn around quickly, covering her mouth. She ran pass Alya, as fast as she could get away. She made it almost to the bathroom, when suddenly a hard body slammed into her before she took another step, sending Marinette to the ground with a loud thud. Her nauseous feeling was swallowed, with the pulsing pain running through her arms and butt now more of a problem.

She looked up, prepared to be blunt and rather mean to the person who caused her to fall. But she was met with the most enchanting green eyes that locked her in place.

"Oh Gods, I am so sorry. Here, let me help you."

The young man was taller then she, sure, but lifted her up so carefully like she was a feather. His blonde hair shone like a halo above his head, and he had on a black royal suit with a neon green trim. He seemed no older than her. An emerald cat paw print was clearly embroidered on his collar. It was familiar to Marinette, but untraceable in her mind, for the handsome man smiled and caused Marinette to blush.

His hand was still wrapped around Marinette's softly. "I am truly sorry," the stranger said, "Let me make it up to you with a dance?"

Marinette smirked and responded, "I suppose that would help my aching sides. But I warn you, I am not a very good dancer."

'Formalities be damned', Marinette thought, as she really wanted to forget about Chloe and everything else. One small dance with this noble wouldn't kill anything.

The blonde man gave a sly grin back, "That's okay, I'll help you", as he lead the Princess to the dance floor.

A slower song started playing, as if on cue, causing the couple to come closer together. A warmth flooded Marinette's face and stomach, as she felt his hand on her hip. She placed her own on his shoulder, their other hands never parting ways.

He began to lead, their movements synced in unison.

"Your Highness, I wanted you to know this wasn't how I was hoping to meet you for the first time," the man said in hushed tones, close to Marinette's ear. She stepped on his foot only a little from the closeness, but quickly regained her footing.

"You know me?" she replied, pulling back a little, but as they turned to the beat, she ended up closer to him then before. A rush of electricity shot between them as they looked each other in the eyes.

"Who doesn't know the most wonderful woman in all of the seven kingdoms?" the stranger whispered, this time as close to Marinette's ear as he could be. "Princess Marinette, soon-to-be Queen. You hold the power of life within you and give it to those less fortunate than yourself."

The heat never escaped her cheeks, words unable to be spoken clearly, "I-I do not know you, good sir, yet you speak like I do."

A mysterious cat-like grin graced the lips of the stranger, as he winked at her without another word. Marinette held tightly to the man as they finished their dance in silence, the energy between them ecstatic and wild.

As they drew to the end, the world around them came back into focus. Suddenly, a round of applause exploded in the hall, making the couple separate completely and look around the area.

The whole banquet was laughing, cheering, and clapping, then a few people parted to let King Tom and Queen Sabine come forth.

"Father, Mother!" Marinette screeched, realizing that she was indeed, engaged, and just danced with another man...and she liked it.

But her parent's smiles were happy and full, with King Tom's massive booming voice silencing the hall. He was a large man, where respect was something he didn't have to worry about earning, but he did anyway with his people and his court.

"Let us celebrate tonight, as we see these lovebirds getting along already!"

Marinette froze at her father's words, turning to the handsome stranger with owl-eyes.

The young man bowed at her, as he should of in the first place, and came back up with a sparkle of coy in his eyes. "I am Prince Adrien Agreste of the Kingdom of Mortem," he said, introducing himself.

The once more sickening feeling overcame Marinette, but also the feeling of betrayal, due to the fact this was the one person she did not want to see. She slammed her foot down on Prince Adrien's foot, storming off from the party in a fit of tears.

Author's Note: Hi Dear Reader! This is my first fan-fiction I have written in a very VERY long time. I have been dabbling with this idea for a while, and since I have become OBSESSED with Miraculous: The Tales of LadyBug and Chat Noir, I really wanted to start something. I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think, and all characters are based off of the cartoon made Zagtoon/Method Animation and created by Thomas Astruc.


	2. A Figure in the Night

**Chapter Two**

 **-A Figure in the Night-**

Prince Adrien began to grow restless, as the House of Cheng staff was attending to his quite swollen foot, exchanging another towel of now melted ice for another, more full wrap. King Tom was doing damage control with Adrien's father, King Gabriel, while Queen Sabine kept apologizing profusely to the young prince. The party was beginning to wane, with only a few from the Kingdom of Testudo, Apis, and Vulpes staying around. These Kingdoms had more to lose if this little stunt meant the start of a war, since trade and treaties already drew ally lines. Adrien knew this, wanting to make sure that nothing happened to push the idea.

"I am really truly sorry, dear," the older Queen began again, this time grabbing the wrap of ice from a young house butler and attending to Adrien's foot herself. Since powers were forbidden at these parties, all Adrien's foot could receive was some good old-fashion ice.

"Marinette is usually really sweet, I don't know what came over her." She looked flushed and scared, causing Adrien to frown.

"Your Majesty, please," Adrien caught her before her hands touched his foot, "You are not at fault, and it is okay." Really, it wasn't anyone's fault but Princess Marinette, but Adrien was kinder than that.

Princess Chloe Bourgeois, however, was not.

"Adrakins!"

She rushed passed staff and even other royals, grabbing Adrien by the arm and hugging it tightly. Fake tears flooded her eyes, her face red, and she looked up at Adrien with big blue bug-like eyes.

"You can still marry me. I wouldn't do anything like this to you! How dare that girl!" Princess Chloe shot a evil stare towards the area where Marinette ran off, where a double french door opened to the outside. A yearning tugged at Adrien's heart; he wanted-no needed- to get out of here.

"Chloe, you know I have to do this. It is for continued peace in our lifetime," Adrien stated, pushing the young blonde girl off of him as he tried to stand.

Continued peace in an unstable landscape, Adrien continued in his head.

Grateful of his oldest friend, but tired of her annoying antects, he knew she just wanted to make sure he was stable. He didn't put much weight on the injured foot, hobbling over towards his father and King Tom.

A young auburn haired girl passed him on the way, her eyes narrowed in annoyance as soon as she saw Adrien. She bumped his shoulder, hard, either on accident or on purpose, causing Adrien to grunt and almost trip. With no words of apology, she kept walking past him in a hurried stride.

'What was that all about?,' Adrien thought, raising a curious eyebrow at that woman's rudeness but continuing on. He would address that later.

Catching the last bit of the conversation between his father and King Tom, Adrien thanked the gods he had impeccable timing.

"Tom, you are going to have to get your daughter under control. I don't want my son marrying a willdabeast," King Gabriel Agreste hissed, his stiff demeter complimenting his blue and silver tux suit. The symbol of the House of Agreste, a blue butterfly, rested on the tall man's brooch. The King of the Land of Destruction never looked more fit for the part. Since the passing of his beloved mother years before, Adrien couldn't remember a time when his father actually smiled.

"Be glad Adrien's foot wasn't actually broken, or we would be talking under fire right now."

"Gabriel.." King Tom pierced his lips tight, but Adrien approached before any other words could have been said. Tom's face shifted dramatically, beaming and grateful.

"Adrien,dear boy! Are you making it around alright?" Tom slapped the boy on the back playfully, causing Adrien to almost fall, but he quickly regained balance.

"I am okay thanks to your amazing staff, King Tom," Adrien said, glancing over at the hurried maids and butlers that were trying to clean up. His voice grew concerned as he turned back to the older men, "Has anyone heard from Princess Marinette?"

King Gabriel huffed, lifting his nose, "That girl has apparently retreated back to her quarters on account of her embarrassing situation. We are going to be stay here at Creaturae palace, my son, till the Princess's birthday. That way, the Princess can make it up to you properly." Gabriel gave Adrien a side look, communicating without words. Ah, yes. The Plan.

Adrien didn't forget, despite wanting too.

"I request to stay in the guest house outside," Adrien added, delivering the same side look to his father.

"Very well," responded King Gabriel, monotone and unenthusiastic.

Adrien sighed and nodded, excusing himself and heading outside through the doors. The air was cool, as autumn was on the way. The stars shone like simmering waves of diamonds across the sky, and creatures of the night echoed. Creaturae felt so much more..alive.. than Mortem, even at night. Adrien felt terrible for what they were trying to do to it.

Walking through the beautiful gardens, Adrien got lost in his thoughts. He went over the plan again in his head, especially since his father drilled it to him over a hundred times now. Marry Marinette, kill Marinette, take over the Kingdom of Creaturae from the inside. Simple, easy.

Not if Chat Noir has anything to say about it, Adrien thought, serving up a coy smile. He might have been caught in Apis a week before, but Chloe ended up pulling a few strings without raising suspicion. She promised to 'reform' the notorious thief, but Adrien left with a big favor owned to Chloe. Going from Kingdom to Kingdom, town to town, Adrien as Chat Noir was searching for the one thing that can help him control the destruction powers that his family is known for.

The urge, the inch, crept over Adrien, sending shivers down his spine. A faint black glow surrounded his hands, and the rush filled his blood. The powers of destruction were like a drug, and he hated it. He had to run away from it, run over the rooftops, and scout out for his prey. This was the last Kingdom, and if the Ring of Plagg wasn't here, if his mother was wrong this whole time…

After calming down a bit, the prince made his way to the guest house by the large angelic fountain in solemn silence, having asked to have this place for reasons such as this. In a hidden conversation before they arrived here, his father insisted he stayed with him in the palace, but after convincing him that it would work out better if he wasn't in the Princess's face, his father agreed to let him stay in the outside guest house. Adrien made sure to reiterate that it was the best for 'the plan'.

As he entered, his trusted friend and serving Protector Knight sat in front of the lit fireplace, playing soft music on his violin. Nino Lahiffe was technically the crown Prince of Testudo, heir to the House of Lahiffe, but as by law and tradition, he had to serve as a Protector Knight to a royal Agreste until that Agreste took the throne. Adrien was glad Nino was with him, the only true friend he had who understood his need to subdue his powers of death.

"You got comfortable quick," Adrien commented, enjoying the sweet melody as Nino brought it to a close. The blonde prince sat down across from his friend in a big leather chair. Nino flashed a big smile, his golden eyes full of excitement. A set of glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. He placed the violin down, resting his chin in his hand in contentment.

"Sorry I didn't stick around to watch you get attended too," the young knight began, "But I wasn't about to pass up the chance to play what I was feeling."

Adrien returned the warm greeting, saying, "It was a bit different this time. Did something happen?"

"Well, I saw the beautiful Princess Marinette, for one."

Adrien grunted and snickered. Indeed, she was truly a very beautiful woman.

"And for two, I also met her Lady-in-waiting, Lady Alya Cesaire."

Adrien perked up, sitting up straight. "As in, the Princess of the House of Cesaire?"

Nino nodded, "Yeah man, the very same. Apparently she and her family were exiled here after that uprising in Vulpus a few years back. Now they work for Marinette's family as tutors and mentors. The House of Rossi seemed to have some help getting to the top of Vulpus." Nino shot a curious expression, "You wouldn't happen to know how they did that, would you, my liege?"

Adrien fidgeted a bit in his seat, staring away from Nino's knowing eyes. Yes, King Gabriel Agreste made a deal with the House of Rossi to overthrow the House of Cesaire and secure the Kingdom of Vulpus for themselves. In return, Gabriel would have their armies and their help if a war began. But Adrien didn't realize that the Cesaire's were banished here; he still thought they were in Vulpus.

So much for paying attention at royal council meetings.

Nino chuckled at Adrien, not really expecting an answer, "Well, it remains a mystery for now." He picked up the violin again, plucking at the strings to release a single, solemn tune.

"Lady Alya and I will be meeting you guys tomorrow for breakfast. Your belongings are already in your room, and the important stuff is sitting in the wardrobe. Good night, Adrien."

The prince smiled and nodded, leaving his friend to his music and making his way up the stairs. Greeting him in the wardrobe, was the black bag of his alternate ego. Sitting right on top was his outfit, and under was all the cat embedded and decorated rings and jewels he has stolen through the Kingdoms. But they were all fakes, replicas or rumored to be The Ring of Plagg, God of Destruction. Adrien planned on returning the items once the real ring was found.

Assembling his gear, Adrien eyed himself in the mirror, and noted how his black hood hid his blonde hair so well. A black mask with a glamor spell made his eyes slitted and bright, exactly like a cat and giving him excellent leather suit was tailored to his exact measurements, and a enchanted belt swayed back and forth behind him, giving him extra balance and agility. A silver metal staff, configured to extend as needed, was hoisted in his backpack.

Out the window, onto the tiles of the palace roof, Chat Noir climbed. He sat among the stars as close as he could be, seeing the whole kingdom from palace tops.

His foot stung as he began his hunt, sending sharp pain signals and causing the vigilante to stop at a balcony overlook.

'Shit' he thought, 'Looks like tonight will be a short one.' He bent down, took off his boot, and rubbed his foot, hissing at the pain.

"Are you hurt?"

Jumping backwards, almost falling off the rails, Chat grabbed the metal bar and his tail steadied him. He stood up and came face to face with Princess Marinette; her hair down around her face, eyes swollen red. A lump stone sat in the cat thief's throat at the presence of the breath-taking Queen-to-be.

She had on a black silk robe, hugging it tightly around her form. The glass door behind her revealed a small lamp lit on a wooden side table, but no one else.

She took another step forward, slowly, and asked again, "Are you hurt?"

Chat Noir's heart raced wildly, torned between actually addressing her as the princess, or pretending he doesn't know who she is. He really needed to leave, though, before she called the guards. But he was curious, as his feline nature got the best of him.

"Yes," he ended up saying, " I hurt my foot." The lie escaped him easy, playing it safe to be honest. If she really was to turn me in, she would have already called the guards, he convinced himself.

Princess Marinette reached out her hand, hesitant. She took another step, then stopped. "Do you mind if I healed you?"

Her voice was calm, caring. She was breathing normally and didn't seemed afraid. Chat Noir was taken aback, staring at the kind-hearted woman with disbelief.. Does she even know who he is? Without pushing his luck too much, he shook his head, and Marinette came closer. She crouched down, hovering her right hand over the hurt foot. Her hand began to glow with a faint pinkish hue, and she lowered it, touching Chat's exposed ankle.

Another hiss escaped the thief's lips as a slight burn then cooling reaction rippled across his foot. And as quick as it was, Marinette stepped back with a smile and nod. Chat Noir rolled his ankle, his foot completely healed. So that's the power of the House of Cheng. No wonder his father wants this family's kingdom.

"Thank you," he said, strapping his boot back on. "I owe you one,miss ..uh..?" He played dumb, giving the ignorance is bliss approach.

"Marinette, Princess of Creaturae," she giggled at him, "I am surprised you do not know me. But of course, I know you, infamous Chat Noir."

Adrenaline rushed through Chat, and he grabbed the railing in order to make a quick escape.

"You knew, and yet helped me anyway, Princess?"

"No one should be in pain."

"But I am a thief."

"And I am a Princess," Marinette rebutted back, "And yet, kindness is something that still applies to me." She tapped her chin in thought, a smirk crossing her face, "How about, you don't steal anything from my kingdom, and we call it even?"

Raising an eyebrow, questioning Marinette's true intentions, Chat Noir laughed. "Even if I say I won't, we both know I will anyway."

Marinette shrugged and kept her cheerful expression, enjoying their witty banter, " As expected, but I won't heal anymore feet, for future reference."

In an instant, Chat grabbed her hand gently and kissed the back of it with a slow, soft peck of his lips, noting her instant flushed face.

"Noted, Princess," he said in hushed tones, " Then I'll come back for a slight sniffle."

The same feeling Adrien felt when they were dancing returned, an electric pulse between them. Before his body betrayed him, Chat Noir backed up and jumped onto the thin railing, balancing and crouching down. He winked at the flustered woman, jumping off the balcony backwards into the night.

Marinette rushed to the edge, peering over to see the thief had disappeared completely. Her heart was racing, her mind clouded. The same feeling she felt with Adrien. The same wink he gave her during their dance. And yet, different.

She should have called the guards as soon as she heard the loud thump, but something told her to show this wanted criminal compassion. She tilted her head up to the night sky, studying the stars for an answer, before making her way back into her room and shutting the door.

Chat Noir leaned forward into the starlight from the shadows under the balcony, a wide-smile never escaping his face. Tomorrow morning, he'll apologize as Adrien, and tomorrow night, he'll go on the hunt for the Ring of Plagg.


	3. A Truly Exciting Morning

**Chapter Three**

 **A truly exciting morning -**

The morning sun greeted Marinette as she blinked her eyes awake from a heavy dream. She was dancing with Prince Adrien again, their eyes locked onto one another; the same warm feeling pooling at the pit of her stomach. Butterflies danced around them like in a fairy tale, but then Chat Noir came up and stole her away, twirling her to the melody and causing all the white butterflies to fly away.

Groaning, the young Princess rose up hastily. She was not a morning person, by any means. Memories of her escapade last night with Chat Noir flooded her mind, and she mentally slapped herself. She really should have turned him in, especially since he was supposed to be in jail in Apis. But he was so different than what she imagined, feeling a familiar tug of her heart towards him that she couldn't explain. Her gut kept telling her he wasn't all bad.

When she saw him again, she would definitely call the guards, though.

'If I see him again...,' she thought, correcting herself. She began to blush remembering his sneaky smile and his sweet goodbye kiss on her hand. A loud knock at her bedroom door interrupted her continuing thoughts of the nice leather suit the thief wore, causing Marinette to bounce out of bed and trip over her blankets; she landed on the floor face first.

"Enterupfh," Marinette mumbled out through her cotton confines.

Alya came in and immediately erupted in howling laughter.

"Please tell me you woke up like that!"

She assisted Marinette up, untangling her blanket mummification, and laughed some more at Marinette's unruly hair. Glancing over at her floor mirror, Marinette began to giggle too at the antennae-like mess on the top of her head.

"Well, you are going to be late, as per usual," Alya began, heading over to the door to let Rose come inside to assist Marinette. "But luckily for you, Prince Adrien isn't an early riser either. I just spoke to Lord Nino, who said that they will just meet us at the dining hall, since apparently Prince Adrien had a rough night."

Marinette's embarrassment of her behavior and her mother's stern words to her last night before Chat arrived reverberated through her.

Rose bowed low as she entered, "Good Morning, Your Highness."

"Morning Rose," Marinette said, giving the girl a small hug and a peck on the cheek. A true customary way of greeting, but not between social classes; Marinette didn't care though. She wanted to make sure all her subjects were treated with respect.

Rose blushed a little, and smiled brightly, "I was told by your mother to make sure you were dressed, but it seems as though I am going to have to make some magic happen with that hair."

All three girls let out fits of giggles and laughter.

Rose worked quickly, under Alya's watchful eye, washing Marinette's face, appling healthy blush, and placing the princess in a nice, but comfortable white flared dress with flower designs and pink flats. Her hair tamed into Marinette's signature twin-tails.

Before they left however, Marinette grabbed the apology gift she was working on for Adrien before Chat Noir jumped into the scene last night. A soft blue scarf made from the finest fabric. A creation she had been slowly making as a side project, but now it seemed fitting as a good present and form of apology. Hurrying along to the dining hall, Rose awaited outside the double marble doors as Alya entered first, announcing Marinette.

"Her Highness, Princess Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Alya took her place towards the end of the long wooden table, sitting by herself, as she kept her back and face rigid until Marinette entered.

Placing her hands in front of her cautiously and all the while gripping tight on her gift, Marinette noted the absence of Adrien at the table and an unfamiliar older face sitting beside her father that looked like a sour grape mixed with a tall giraffe.

"Good Morning, dear," Queen Sabine greeted her daughter, rising from the table to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Good Morning, mother," Marinette kissed her father's cheek as she came to the head of the table, "Good Morning, father."

"Good Morning, Marinette," her father began,returning Marinette's greeting. He lifted his hand and indicated to the stranger next to him,

"Allow me to introduce, King Gabriel Agreste of Mortem."

Oh, dear. Marinette grew stiff at her embarrassment. She had decided she was going to apologize to Adrien, but she never thought about apologizing to his father.

She coursied low, keeping her voice even from years of practice, "Good Morning, King Gabriel. My sincerest apologies to my behavior last night, Your Majesty. I was thrown off guard, and I acted out of sorts. I hope you can see it in your heart to forgive me."

"You should apologize to my son, dear girl. Though, if I were him, I would make sure you washed my feet every night during our honeymoon until they were no longer bruised," The King of Mortem's words were like venom, as he spat them out towards Marinette.

She flinched, holding back some tears at the expense of her parents. She was going to be Queen, and though words like that hurt, she was stronger than that. She would be treated fairly in her own kingdom.

Before Marinette could return fire, the doors opened again and in walked a young dark skinned man wearing glasses, a blue tunic and casual pants. Marinette immediately recognized the crest of the House of Lahiffe at the center of his shirt; a green turtle.

"His Highness, Prince Adrien Agreste," said the newcomer, taking a seat and smiling next to Alya. The Lady-in-Waiting grew rosy and began softly talking to the young man.

Prince Adrien came in behind him, looking tired but holding a fake smile. He didn't seem to be in much pain from his foot, Marinette noted. But of course, she was only told by her mother how swollen it was. He wore simple light, baggy cotton pants and a black tunic that Marinette couldn't help but note showed off his muscular arms; he walked up to his father and bowed low.

"Good Morning, Father."

King Gabriel just nodded at his son in acknowledgement.

Adrien took a seat next to his father and turned to King Tom and Queen Sabine, "Good Morning everyone. Thank you again for letting us stay here until the wedding."

"Of course, dear boy," King Tom said, trying to bring joy back into the room, "We only want what's best for you both, right honey?"

Queen Sabine nodded, almost nervously, "Yes of course. Glad to see your foot healing nicely."

Adrien's face almost betrayed him with a blush, and he nodded, "I can walk on it now, thanks to your wonderful staff. The swelling is completely gone."

Sabine smiled sweetly and turned to her daughter, "Have a seat, dear."

Realizing she was just staring at Adrien this whole time, Marinette made a soft yeep noise and took a seat next to her mother, across from Adrien. She smiled and waved at Adrien awkwardly, with him returning it and looking over at Queen Sabine for some sort of explanation. Sabine nugged her daughter's side, bringing her back down to reality.

Marinette lowered her head as to not look him in the eyes and placed her hands out, palms up, presenting her gift. "Good Morning, Prince Adrien. I give you my complete and total marriage in hand...I mean hand in marriage for my behavior last night. I hope I can make it up to you throughout the years to come. May our Kingdoms prosper." She reached closer to him and placed the scarf on the table, "I made you a gift, too."

Queen Sabine placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder when she sat back down and mouthed a silent, 'good job'.

Adrien scratched the back of his neck nervously at Marinette's formality, reaching for the scarf. It was so soft to the touch, with thick fabric and frills at the end.

He widened his eyes at the craftsmanship, remarking, "Thank you, Princess Marinette. I will cherish this forever." Placing the scarf around his neck for now, Adrien's face suddenly grew warm. No one has ever gone out of their way to give something to him before.

A ring of a bell brought the attention of the royals to the kitchen door, where Max stood, smiling. He held a napkin over his arm and indicated to the kitchen.

"Breakfast is now served."

Kitchen staff poured out of the door, with carts of delicious food and steamy pastries filling the scents of the air. Sausages, eggs, oats, fruits, chocolate croissants; the warm decalent smells and cinnamon-sugar flavors reaching Adrien's nose.

He sniffed hard, a little too hard, catching Marinette's attention. She covered her mouth with a giggle, causing Adrien to blush slightly.

"Our farms can not produce such an amazing breakfast," Adrien remarked, as a plates began to fill out in front of him. For each staff member, he said thanks as they tried not to look at him in the face.

Marinette tilted her head, "Oh? I thought Mortem was highly regarded for their meat processing and cotton production. I am inspired by a lot of Mortem clothing designs, myself."

King Gabriel butted in, "Those are all well and good, but a drought has overtaken most of our lands. We are having to cut costs where we can."

He smiled, though you would have thought it was a different face that presented, "I actually help with those designs, Princess. "

"Oh that is amazing! I hope I can work with you, King Gabriel, and we can help get those farms back up to speed," Marinette remarked, taking a bite out of a soft and gooey croissant.

"I hope you can too," Adrien responded with a warm smile, stuffing a strawberry in his mouth.

Marinette turned her attention to the mysterious stranger who was talking with Alya, introducing herself, "Hello there, I am Princess Marinette. I don't believe I've meet you before."

Adrien copied her, but with Alya, "Weren't you the girl who bumped into me last night?"

Alya stiffened, her face flashing red from embarrassment. She was hoping he wasn't going to recognize her and that her annoyance with him last night was forgotten.

"Why did you bump into my son, Lady Cesire?" King Gabriel demanded, raising an eyebrow up.

"It-it was an accident," Alya covered, "I apologized, didn't I, Prince Adrien?"

Putting two and two together, Adrien nodded over towards his father, grinning, "Yes, she did, Father, don't worry." So that's Princess "Lady" Cesire… Using this opportunity to ease the tension, Adrien pointed to Nino.

"This is my retainer, Lord Nino Lahiffe."

Searching her mind for her history lesson, Marinette remembered the traditional ways of the House of Lahiffe and the House of Agreste. She nodded, and smiled, "Nice to meet you, sir Knight."

"The pleasure is mine, Princess," Nino titled his head up and returned the smile.

A older, mature looking woman walked inside the hall, her stance poise and her hair black as night with a streak of red flowing through it. Glasses stopped at the tip of her nose, and a rolled up parchment was gripped onto her side. She came behind King Gabriel, leaned into his ear, and whispered low. Adrien shot a curious glance over, wondering what the news was. King Tom and Queen Sabine stared hard with distrust at the exchange.

"Understood. You may go, Natalie," Gabriel excused the stewardess, and as she left without another word, the King relayed, "It seems Chat Noir was spotted last night roaming the grounds."

Adrien dropped his fork mid-bite, Marinette choked on her orange juice, and Nino gagged a little on oatmeal, causing the table to look over at them all. Adrien was the first to recover fast enough, grabbing his fork again, "R-really now? I thought he was locked up in Apis."

Ignoring his son's stammer, the stiff King continued, "He was apparently released on the account that Princess Chloe was to reform him. After breakfast, I will address the situation myself. I feel responsible for this thief on the account he started in Mortem." He nabbed his napkin over his mouth to wipe off non-existent crumbs.

King Tom remarked, "I'll make sure extra guards are stationed and round the clock watch is highlighted in the morning patrol meeting."

Queen Sabine continued for him, "Surely Chat Noir knows that we would do that. Maybe we should do a curfew, too."

King Tom nodded in agreement, "I'll speak to the Senators about that idea."

'Damnit,' Adrien mentally cursed, having left back to the guest house right after Marinette healed him last night. He was usually so careful. He hoped who ever saw him last night didn't see him with Marinette.

To distract from her thoughts, Marinette spotted the last stuff pastry on the silver platter at the center of the table, and reached far forward to grab it. What she didn't see, however, was metal fork stuck under the pitcher of orange juice. But that was just the thing she placed her weight on to reach for the pastry, causing flying juice to splash all over Adrien and his father.

"Oh my Gods, I am so sorry!"

Marinette tried to help clean up quickly by using her own napkin to wipe off the table.

"What is the meaning of THIS?!" King Gabriel shouted, quickly rising with juice dripping from his face and hands. House staff raced inside the dining area, hands full of napkins and towels. Marinette's clumsiness was commonplace for them. They tried assisting King Gabriel, but he kept shooing them away, face plastered with anger. He snatched a towel from one of the maids, attending to his face himself. Adrien, however, started laughing hysterically, grabbing a towel from a young butler and dabbing his face dry.

Gabriel turned to his son, confusion mixed with anger. "What do you find so funny, son?!"

Adrien stood up, staring his father in the face, "Oh lighten up, Father. It was an accident."

Sour perched lips addressed Adrien, "Accident or not, this is your future wife. She should be punished by you and learn proper etiquette."

Adrien gazed over at Marinette, her face now covered by her hands with her mother whispering to her softly. They needed to talk anyway, alone.

"Princess Marinette, come with me then. If you'll excuse us, everyone"

Never lifting her head up, Marinette rose and pushed her chair back. Alya stood up to join them but was stopped by King Tom's hand. Nino stood up too, only for Adrien to shake his head.

The Prince made his way out of the hall, Marinette following closely behind him. He walked outside, towards the gardens he saw yesterday. They were even more beautiful during the day, with different flowers and plants growing interchangeably. Ignoring his own citrus smell now, he walked towards a part of the gardens he didn't get to see last night. Close by a tall stone statue of a ladybug, a rose bush held a single red rose, which Adrien plucked easily.

He turned to Marinette rose in hand, who never looked up. Tears could be seen falling down her cheeks and her lips were tightly pressed together. Her hands made fists at her sides, trembling.

"Marinette I-"

"I am so sorry!" She cried out, bringing bluebell eyes to meet green. Adrien's heart tore at the sight of the poor girl. "I am so clumsy and I am sorry about your foot and I am sorry about my improper etiquette, and.. .and.."

"Hush, It's okay."

"And..a-what?" She sniffled, stopping her rambling.

"My father is the biggest hardass when it comes to etiquette, proper traditions, and all that. It was an accident, I know." He chuckled, "I was there."

Marinette wiped away tears running down her cheeks with the back of her hand, and a small smile began to peek out. "I am sorry about last night though. When I learned you were friends with Chloe, it made me physically sick. But you were so nice and danced with me. I felt a little betrayed by my own stereotype, I guess."

Adrien grinned from the corner of his mouth, the happy moments from the day before flooding his mind. The feeling of her hands in his, her body close. But a forming a crush isn't part of the plan.

"If it helps any, I can understand what you mean about Chloe. She can be a bit much, but she is my oldest friend," said the Prince, "My mother passed away when I was almost 4, so I had no one else but Chloe to keep me company when my father was traveling."

Marinette tried to think back if she actually met Adrien before, at any of the parties her and Chloe would torment each other at, but nothing rang a bell. She also realized she needed to ask a very important question.

"How old are you anyway, and why haven't I met you before now?" she questioned, the chaos from breakfast forgotten in her mind.

"Oh, I am 24. My father never let me go anywhere but Mortem, saying he wanted to make sure I stayed close to home. I wasn't allowed to go to balls or parties, instead I had to train and learn all about becoming King. Even though I have Nino," Adrien shrugged, "-I'm out in the world now. Here, this is for you."

Adrien brought the flower towards Marinette, but suddenly, the creeping shadows of destruction glowed in the prince's hand, causing the rose to wilt.

"Damn, I'm sorry," he cursed, "It's my powers. I haven't used them in so long that they sometimes leak out. I have to be extra careful."

A brighter grin ran across Marinette's face, as she took the dead flower in her hand. In an instant, it sprung back to life, full and vibrant. She tilted her head up to Adrien, bringing the rose close to her chest. "I covered you, I mean- I got you covered," she stated with brightness.

Her kindness knows no bounds, Adrien formulated. His father's demanding nature flashed in his mind, and Adrien turned his head away from the princess. He has to find that ring soon, or he will have to do something he was going to regret.


	4. Gathering Intel

**Chapter Four**

 **-Gathering Intel-**

Nino waited patiently right by the entrance of the gardens, just out of the way not to be noticed, but just in range to keep an eye on Adrien. He leaned against the stonewall of the palace, eyes closed, the sounds of a nearby fountain humming in his ears. He could hear Adrien and Marinette talking, but couldn't make out what they were saying.

His charge, his liege, his best friend.

The news that someone spotted Chat Noir last night put Nino on edge. This mission to find the ring was so important to Adrien, something that Nino knew would help stop the back-stabbing and the lies King Gabriel has been flooding the kingdoms with, since the death of Queen Emilie Agreste. If Adrien could get the ring and place it on Gabriel's finger, no more could the tyrant threaten the black death upon people. Adrien could then use it to control his own powers and prevent the cycle from repeating. Nino's family's hands were tied, but his own weren't.

He wanted Adrien to take the throne, and this marriage to Marinette will only help strengthen that resolve.

Of course, it doesn't help that once Adrien took the throne, Nino would be able to take his own kingdom back and actually help Testudo, instead of his cousin, Bulla, working with Gabriel. Curse this traditional arrangement.

The door to the palace opened beside Nino, causing him to crack open an eye and meet Lady Alya's worried gaze. They bonded over their mutual love and support of their charges, talking last night and at breakfast about the mess the young couple has caused so far. Nino quite liked Lady Alya's determination and focus. She made sure Marinette was adequately prepared for become Queen, like Nino had to get Adrien ready to take over from his father when the time came.

"Hey, they are still talking, uh?"

Nino nodded, checking over to make sure the couple was still standing near by. They were now walking back towards the entrance of the gardens.

Nino responded, "Yeah, how was damage control in there?"

Alya sighed, "Well, King Gabriel has requested to speak to Princess Chloe and King Andre, King Tom is now at the morning patrol meeting, and Queen Sabine is knitting some small blankets."

Nino raised an eyebrow for her to elebroate.

"She thinks that grandchildren are soon," Alya shrugged and grew serious, "But I think we should be preparing for a massive outright war. I don't trust Gabriel talking with Chloe and her father. And with Chat Noir here, I definitely don't trust him."

"Why's that?"

"I have reason to believe Chat Noir is working under the influence of King Gabriel. He started in Mortem, has hit every Kingdom so far, gathering intel and only stealing to hide his cover," Alya drew a fist, losing herself in her words, "When I heard he was spotted, at breakfast this morning, I felt like I came to the right conclusion. He has got to be here to ruin the wedding."

Nino kept his face clear, playing along, "I highly doubt that, I mean, he only steals objects that are cat-like or have cats on them. If he was only doing it to hide his cover, why those objects?"

Before Alya could respond, the young couple approached; Marinette holding a single rose and Adrien fidgeting with his scarf. Both had big love-bird looks, but awkwardly looked away from one another.

Nino let out a deep breath.

'Don't fall in love, you idiot! You need to use her and find the ring,' he wanted to say to his charge.

They stopped in front of their mentors, and Alya placed her hand on her hip.

"Glad to see you two getting along now," she commented, causing them both to grow pink in the cheeks. Nino was glad though; Alya was now focused on something else, and he didn't have to keep lying to her. He liked her too much for that.

"I am going to go do my daily studies," Marinette said, breaking away from Adrien and going towards the door, "Goodbye to the both of you, for now."

Alya wrapped her arm around Marinette's, leading her inside and closing the doors behind them.

Nino looked over at Adrien, who was watching Marinette walk away, his face brightly lit and full of light.

'Well, at least he is happy, for once,' Nino concluded, feeling a little bad popping the prince's metaphorical bubble.

"Have you searched more for the ring?" he asked, placing a hand on Adrien's shoulder, "And you know that you can't get attached to her. She doesn't even know who you really are."

Adrien's shoulders immediately fell, his face darkening.

"Speaking of," Nino continued, "You have got to be more careful. Lady Alya is suspicious of Chat Noir, too, you know."

Adrien made a sour face, "She is? Shit. I wonder who spotted him last night, too."

Nino grunted, "Who ever it was, be glad they didn't find out about you. Now, why don't you head to the library and I'll go into town? I'm sure one of us will be able to figure something out."

Adrien nodded, sighing heavily. Creaturae had one of the biggest, if not the biggest, library in all of the seven was bound to be something in there about the ring's location. Even if it was just a fairytale his mother used to tell him before she passed away.

Lady Alya walked through the corridors of the palace, her attire casual as the evening was approaching fast. She spent the majority of her day helping Marinette with her studies, and of course, gossiping about her incoming feelings for Prince Adrien. Now that she had some free time, Alya wanted to get to the bottom of something that had been bothering her. What Lord Nino said earlier tugged at her mind.

Why is Chat Noir only stealing cat related objects?

If she was to prove her theory correct, the best place to start was the royal library. She passed by Rose, on her way to Marinette's room of course, with Juleka by her side; close by her side. Alya and Marinette knew they were hiding the truth about their relationship from everyone else, but Marinette made sure to reassure them that when she is Queen, they could get married and be open. Alya had to just make sure Marinette becomes Queen first.

Through the palace grounds, adjacent to the gardens, stood the dome library. Home to artifacts, rare books. manuscripts, and the entire history of the royal family and even other families from different kingdoms, Alya knew she would find exactly what she was looking for here.

The library welcomed her with the smell of books and soft music, playing from a bard with a cello visiting from Ovium. The front desk stood at the center floor, with two spiral staircases on either side reaching up four floors. Shelves upon shelves upon shelves of books, tucked away in order, decorated the entire area. Not many people came and went, but those that did had piles of knowledge in their hands. Alya came up to the front desk, seeing the assistant librarian, Mylene Haprele, reading through a rather large book. Her hair was designed with braids, with different colored feathers and beads intermingled. A small brown beret sat on the girl's head, with the mark of The Kingdom of Ovium resting on it; the sheep.

Alya was glad to see her and not the head librarian, Madame Mendeleiev, who probably wouldn't even say hello, let alone let Alya search alone.

"Good Evening, Mylene," Alya said, smiling.

"Oh!" Mylene jumped, "Lady Alya, what a surprise! Two royals in one day! The last time that happened, Princess Marinette had to be escorted here by her mother after that incident with Princess Chloe and the fountain."

Remembering that day well, Alya laughed and then realized what was just said, "Wait-two royals? Who else is here, Mylene?"

"Oh, Prince Adrien," the young girl pointed to the right, towards the study area, "He hasn't brought back his books yet, so I don't think he has left. But, he said he didn't want to be disturbed, so I don't think I can let you go see him."

Alya studied her options for a moment, bringing two fingers to her lips. Turning her head away from Mylene, who was too focused in her book to notice, Ayla released a soft whistle, at a high enough pitch for Mylene to hear.

A faint orange glow illuminated her fingertips as the sound passed through them.

Suddenly, Mylene stood up quickly with a shocked and frightened expression, "I am coming, Ms Mendeleiev!" She turned to Alya, " I am sorry, Lady Alya, but I have to go now."

Hating having to use her powers, Alya waved goodbye to Mylene as the poor girl ran towards the voice she thought she heard.

Alya walked over towards the study hall. An area full of chairs, papers, ink quills, and sectioned desks, Alya searched for blonde hair. She found him, behind a fortress of books of different shapes and sizes. He looked tired, eyes red from the ink pages, and his hand rested on his face.

"Need some help?"

Papers flew wildly, books tossed on the floor, with Adrien falling off of his chair with a thudumf.

A giggle couldn't help but escape Alya's mouth, as Prince Adrien looked up at her with annoying eyes, but then realized who she was.

"Lady Cesire! You scared me," he began, getting back into his seat while cleaning up the paper trail. "I told Mylene I didn't want to be disturbed, though."

Alya sat across from him, studying his messy attempts at research, "I am sorry, Your Highness. But I was just thinking you look like you need a second pair of eyes. Maybe you can help me too."

Adrien gazed at Lady Alya with a raised expression and a smirk, "Are we bonding, Lady Cesire?"

She played coy, tapping the prince on the nose, "Call me Alya, and yes; I'm looking for objects that are related to cats."

Adrien's eyes flashed something Alya couldn't explain, but then he grinned, "Well, I was looking for something similar, actually."

Excitement and hopefulness raced through Alya, as she stood up and braced the table between them.

"Are you going to try to catch Chat Noir in the act too, before he ruins the wedding?!"

Adrien paused for a second, then nodded in excitement, "Why, yes I am! I want to make sure the wedding happens without any problems." The Prince reached for a large black cover, beaten up old book, handing it to Alya. In golden letters, the front read, The Miraculous FairyTales of The Seven Kingdoms.

"I know these!" Alya began, flipping through the pages and seeing pictures of all the gods, heroes and monsters, "My mother would read these to me at night, and now she reads them to my younger sisters."

She looked up, bewildered, "Why did you give me this, though?"

"It seems Chat Noir may be looking for The Ring of Plagg," Adrien suggested, quickly adding, "Based on what he has stolen previously, it seems."

Thinking back, Alya recalled the story, " The Ring of Plagg, so named because it belongs to the God of Destruction and Chaos? Who supposedly gave your family their powers due to a curse? That is a fairytale story! There is no way it is real." Alya flipped through the book until she found the picture of the tall, handsome God of Destruction, who was basically half-man, half-black cat. A sketch next to the God was of a black and silver ring, with a green paw print at the center of it.

Adrien grabbed another book carefully, this time a leather bound old diary that looked well preserved,

"Well, Master Wang Fu found it, according to these journal entries." Alya tried to reach for the book, but Adrien pulled away, "I'm sorry, Lady Alya, I promised Mylene I wouldn't let anyone else touch this. It took a lot of convincing to let her even let me look at this, let alone read through it."

"But Master Wang Fu was the one of the Draconus Lords, the first one, in fact. He was even around during the foundations of the Seven Kingdoms. Those writings have to be well over 1,000 years old," Alya tapped her chin, her thoughts racing.

Adrien agreed, bracing his face on his hands again in a form of defeat, "But, that's about as far as I got. The trail stops there. Master Wang Fu simply says, 'I placed the ring with the new Lady of Luck and await the day fate reveals the truth."

Adrien sighed heavy, "There is even a mention of something called The Earrings of Tikki that Master Fu gave this 'Lady of Luck'."

Alya dropped the book she was holding and gasped, "The Earrings of Tikki! Those are Marinette's families prized possessions! They are given to the new Queen on her 21st birthday! The day she is crowned! They get placed back into the vault about a month before the next Queen is expected to take the throne. "

Adrien's eyes went wide, the realization hitting him squarely in the chest, "Are..are you positive?" Alya picked back up the book of fairytales, turning the page. She spotted what she was looking for with an excited laugh.

"See?" she began, turning the book around and pointing at the page. It showed a elegant, beautiful woman, with a ladybug mask and a large gown decorated with ladybugs. Even ladybugs themselves danced around the woman. A pair of earrings, red and black spotted, were sketched next to the lady.

"That is the Goddess of Life, Tikki. It is said that Marinette's family are descendants of her. That's how they have the powers of creation. Since those earrings are real, it means that the Ring of Plagg is real too!"

Adrien stared blankly at the page in front of him, lightly brushing the face of Tikki with his fingertips. He looked lost in thought and conflicted emotions clouded his face.

Alya lightly coughed, jogging him back to reality. She grabbed the book and looked at the page again, trying to catch a glimpse of what Adrien could have seen.

"Sadly, I don't think Chat Noir can get his hands on that ring. If it is locked up with the earrings, only a female from the House of Cheng can get inside the vault," Alya causally stated, closing the book with a loud thud. "Which means, I really don't have anything to worry about." She flashed a bright smirk, standing up.

"Thank you, Prince Adrien. I was worried since you were the son of your father, that you would try to manipulate Marinette like King Gabriel did to my mother," she patted the prince's hand in friendship, "But you really do have Marinette's best interests at heart."

Alya left the Prince and headed back the palace, wondering why he looked so sad at her parting words.

A small purple butterfly fluttered into the outside from a nearby open window as Alya walked away.


	5. Thievery Doesn't Suit you,Chat Noir

Chapter Five

-Thievery doesn't suit you, Chat Noir-

Into the night, he ran

Through the shadows, he ran.

Through the hidden depths of the forgotten day, he ran.

The moon barely visible, the darkness overtaking him. Driven by the need to decide right from wrong. Be the son he needs to be, be the King he has to be. Be the freedom he craves.

After convincing Nino he would be extra careful, Prince Adrien as Chat Noir left the guest house in a hurry to clear his thoughts. Extra guards were stationed around the barrier of the palace gardens and gate, but Chat Noir snuck pass them easy. He found himself in between a shift.

Reaching out his hand and letting it trail behind him, the black mist of death over took him. His destruction boiled, and with his hands raking across an old iron fence in a forgotten part of the gardens rust immediately overtook it, and it disintegrated into dust. He was on a high, trying to let out this rage, uncertainty, and fear that clouded his very eyes. Alya's words echoed in his head; his father's own trying to out shine her. Finally letting his powers overtake him, he jumped across the rooftops of the palace in silence. A small flagpole here, a piece of tile there. Little things no one will notice, at least, not right away. It felt good to let the destruction flow from his hands, being pent up for so long. Unknowingly, he jumped onto a balcony ledge, and it wasn't until he was about to destroy the railing, did he notice..

'Marinette…'

He was on her balcony. Her smile flashed in his mind.

He turned around, expecting her to be like she was last night. But he was only greeted by a closed door and shut curtains. Maybe getting her a gift, as a sort of thank you for healing his foot, was what he needed to do. Chat Noir grinned, his energy redirected. He jumped down, keeping to the shadows, and found a couple of last blooming blue violets sticking out of the ground. Placing his leather gloves on just in case, he scooped them up and headed back towards the balcony. When he landed again, the curtains were drawn back, and the small lamp was turned on inside. Another smile flashed across his face. She knew.

Chat Noir came and knocked softly at the door, placing the flowers behind his back. He heard a rustling, then suddenly Marinette came into view from the left. She gave a small smirk, opening the door. She was wearing her silk robe again, but her hair wasn't down, indicating she had been staying up a bit. Maybe she was waiting for him.

"Well hello. Are you lost, kitty?"

Her small flirting made his heart soar, and he pulled out the flowers from behind him. "Flowers for a Princess," he said, bowing and reaching out.

"Oh wow, they are beautiful," Marinette gasped, grabbing the delicate bouquet and smelling them, "I'll put them with the other flower I got today." She walked back inside, and motioned for Chat Noir to follow. Perking up, he pulled his hood tighter around his face and made sure his mask was secure before following. Marinette's room was all shades of pinks and purples, with simplistic furniture and a full size bed. Nothing he expected a Princess to have. A half-mannequin stood in the corner, draped in a long white fabric that was forming into a dress.

Marinette placed the flowers inside a vase that held a single red rose, with the blue violets almost overshadowing the rose completely. She turned to him, saying, "Did you come all this way just to give me flowers?" Adrien blushed slightly. She kept the flower he gave her earlier this morning.

"Actually no, princess," Chat began, "I came to thank you again for last night." He really should be asking her about how to get into the vault, about the ring, but now, he wanted to just spend some time with her. "You really helped out a poor cat."

Marinette sat down at her small writing desk, resting her arm on the wooden furniture. " You are welcome, kitty. Haven't stolen anything, have you?"

Chat shook his head, sitting down at the edge of Marinette's bed. "So far no," He gave a cat-like grin, leaning forward and testing his luck, "Do I get a treat for good behavior?"

He swayed his belt-tail back and forth, enjoying their banter. Marinette's face turned undeniably bright. She placed a hand on her red cheeks, looking over at the vase of flowers. She then met green eyes with her own, a spark of something unmentioned flashing between them.

The electricity in the air soared, Adrien remembered it from the night they danced. Keeping his cool, Chat leaned back onto his arms.

"I've heard through the grapevine that you are engaged, Princess," changing the subject to his alternate self, seeing if he could get a rise out of her. Chat crossed his legs causally. "I don't have anything to worry about, right?"

Marinette's tone shifted, she straightened up her back. "I am engaged. To Prince Adrien Agreste of Mortem." She turned her head away, her hair covering her eyes, "He has been really nice to me, but I am not sure what my actual feelings are." A deep breath escaped her, "But it doesn't matter. The Senators made their choice, and now I have to get married to him to become Queen and keep the peace."

A piece of his heart tore at her words. He tried pressing further, "Isn't he the son of King Gabriel, the one who is trying to start a war? You could always just abstain from the crown. Then you don't have to worry about marrying anyone."

Marinette grew flustered, shaking her head violently, "No! I mean- yes he is King Gabriel's son, but no. I will not stepped down from being Queen. Creaturae needs me, the people look up to me. I can't let them down." She drew a fist,as tears softly fell down her cheeks. "I have to do this." Her voice was a whisper, but Chat heard every word.

"Princess I-" he stopped himself, "The Prince wouldn't want you to do something you don't want to do. If I were him, I wouldn't..at least. You are going to be a great Queen, even with a husband."

Marinette smiled at him, wiping away the couple of tear drops that remained on her face. "Thievery doesn't really seem to suit you, Chat Noir." She came and sat down next to him, keeping enough space between them. "That's why I can't turn you in. I feel like I can trust you, because you have been nothing but kind to me, and my instincts say you aren't really dangerous."

Clenching his fists, grateful he was wearing his gloves, Chat Noir stood up quickly and walked towards the door.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Marinette cried.

Chat stood still, his back to her. He grabbed the doorframe, squeezing. "Princess, I-" he tried to find the right words, "I don't want you to trust me. You are too nice, so I have to be honest." He turned around, eyes watery. He can't tell her who he is, but he can at least tell her some of the truth. "There is a ring," he began, grabbing the book of fairy tales he checked out (stole) from the library earlier out of his backpack, "The Ring of Plagg. It is said to contain the powers of the God of Destruction and will help those of the Agreste line to control their powers. It might even block the powers all together for a short time." He opened the pages to the one he marked for Plagg, showing her. "I've learned that this ring is in your families vault. I need to get it."

Marinette grabbed the book, staring at the pages blankly. She gazed up at him, tilting her head, "Why though?"

"Let's just say it's personal."

Looking down at the book in front of her, Marinette studied the drawing and the words. She then flipped to the next page, where the Goddess Tikki smiled back up at her. Marinette let a small smile trace her lips, and she closed the book. "Then it's settled. I'll help you get this ring, in exchange you stop stealing all together and retire."

Chat stood dumbfounded. She can't be serious. She would steal something from her own family, just because she trusts him? He grew stern, "Princess, I can't ask you to do that. Don't be so naive. You don't even know me."

Marinette stood up, walking towards the thief. She stopped, her eyes narrowed in determination. She got on the balls of her feet, getting her face close to his.. "I know enough about you," she said in hushed, serious tones, "My gut is telling me to help you. I've always listened to it, and I am not about to stop now."

Chat blinked rapidly in shock. She was stubborn and to the point. He realized that arguing with her was really going to get nowhere fast. Regaining his composer, he pushed her away a bit and rolled his eyes playfully, sighing.

"Seems like I can't stop you. Just so we are clear, I didn't ask you to do this. You can say no at any time, and I'll back off," he spoke, crossing his arms over his chest.

Marinette nodded and giggled, "Sounds fair enough. I don't have access to the vault until closer to my birthday-wedding-coronation, so that gives me time if I change my mind." She brushed past him and onto the balcony, leaning against the railing and looking up at the night sky. Chat came up beside her, studying her form. She was truly beautiful, especially under the stars. Her robe favored her curves well, too, causing Adrien under the mask to blush. He looked up to the sky, trying to see the world through her eyes. Of all the things that flashed through his mind tonight, an image of his mother morphed in the stars. Emile Agreste was kind-hearted, too. Heart strings pulled and tugged, Adrien missed his mother so much. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft hand over his own. He looked down and saw Marinette giving him a soft look. She gave his hand a slight squeeze and let go. No words. Just a warm heart and a loving gesture.

Before any more thoughts snuck into his mind, Chat knew it was time to go. He jumped and balanced onto the railing, turning his head to the princess. "Till tomorrow night, then?" he said, grinning. He wasn't really expecting her to say yes, but so far, this girl did surprise him.

"I am counting on it," she replied, turning around towards her room with a simple smirk and wave.

Chat Noir left towards the guest house with the biggest dopiest grin on his face. He even forgot the book he got (stole) from the library.

Marinette saw it though, as she walked back inside. Grabbing it, she opened up the cover to see the seal of the library stamped inside. Yes, he may be a thief, but she wouldn't have taken him as a person to steal library books. She'll return it for him tomorrow during her free time. Walking over towards her desk, Marinette grabbed her sketch book and glanced over at the mannequin. She had been thinking about her birthday-wedding-coronation all night, and the idea of making her own dress came to her. Yes, her mother would probably insist on the Royal Tailor to make it, but Marinette wanted it to be special. Her own design, her own dress. She had less than a month to make it, so she sat down at her desk again and finalized some details. But Chat Noir's solemn face couldn't leave her mind. He looked hurt, lost even. Almost like how Adrien looked this morning after talking about his mother. She scratched out what she was attempting and flipped to the next page of her book. After about another dozen or so tries of getting Adrien and Chat Noir out of her head, Marinette decided to call it a night.

Tomorrow, she was suppose to meet with the delegates of the other kingdoms to discuss the future of Creaturae and introduce herself to them all. Crawling into her soft bed, Marinette drifted to sleep with thoughts of a certain black cat thief and blonde prince, as a purple butterfly snuck past outside through a crack in her balcony door.


	6. The Council of The Seven Kingdoms

Chapter Six

-The Council of the Seven Kingdoms-

The amphitheater where the delegates met was within the town of Creaturae, in the same area where the Senators of Creaturae came together to formulate laws and agreements to take to the royal family. Marinette sat, uncomfortable in her formal attire, in between her parents while they waited for the bell chimes that indicating the beginning of the Council.. They were positioned at the front center of the large stage, facing out onto the massive crowd of delegates, kings, queens, lords and ladies. Marinette's own Lady-in-Waiting sat with her family at the stage right side of the row of seats. Alya gave her friend a bright smile when Marinette gazed over at them.

This was the first time Marinette was going to lead the such a immense group of people, and she felt the weight of a thousand bricks on her shoulders. A hand graced her own, and Marinette turned to see her mother's soft and encouraging eyes.

"You are going to do great," the older Queen whispered, giving Marinette's hand a squeeze.

"She is right," King Tom butted in, smiling and placing one of his broad hands on Marinette's shoulder, "You have been preparing for this moment. Show them you are meant to be Queen."

A small tear formed at the corner of Marinette's eye, and she grabbed both of her parents in a loving embrace. "Thank you both, for being the best parents ever," she lovingly whispered. As they parted, Marinette quickly saw blonde hair at the corner of her eye. Prince Adrien, his father, and Lord Lahiffe were taking their seats closest to the stage. A swell of nerves exploded in Marinette's stomach. Prince Adrien smiled at her, raising a fist and mouthed, 'Good Luck'.

The bells began to chime at the tune of Marinette's heart beat.

With an soft push onto her lower back from her mother, Marinette rose up to greet the shushing crowd. She spotted the House of Bourgeois, House of Rossi, House of Kurtzberg, and the Draconus Lords. Their faces were different shades of mistrust, worry, fear, happiness, and solemness. Senators of Creaturae were intermingled in the crowd, their emotions hanging on Marinette's every breath.

Inhaling deeply, Marinette began, " Most of you know me, though I have never met some of you. I am Princess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I will become Queen of Creaturae on my 21st birthday which is within the month." Marinette stole a glance over at Alya, who simply nodded for her to continue. The many nights they practiced this speech helped, but with this additional new information Marinette had to include brought a set of nervousness. "I have many plans for Creaturae, and I hope you will help me as the Council of The Seven Kingdoms. Though, it has been decided by the Senators of Creaturae that in order to calm the people's minds, I am too also marry Prince Adrien Agreste of Mortem before I can become Queen."

Whispers raced through the delegates who did not know; the words "war" "Agreste" and "marriage" rippled through the crowd.

Rising her voice above them, Marinette continued, " I wanted to assure each and every one of you, that despite my marriage, I will still be Queen of Creaturae and now of Mortem. I will lead Creaturae and Mortem into a new age, with taxes lessened, trade agreements renewed, and an equal rights law that I intend to see through. I will also review all previous treadies."

The young King Nathaniel Kurtzberg of Ovium rose, his red hair causing him to stand out considerably. Marinette smiled, glad she had a good friend among the strangers. Nathaniel was an amazing artist and helped Marinette with designs as well as he gave her great advice on becoming queen,since he had to become king so young due to the death of his father.

"I have heard Chat Noir has been sighted here. What do you plan on doing about him?"

Her feet turned to stone,; her blood ice. The one question she wanted to avoid came right out, from her friend, no less. But she had thought long and hard about this, spilling out her answer, "Chat Noir will be left alone until after my coronation. We have heightened security and have issued a curfew."

Adrien hung on every word and grinned brightly at her words. But others around him began to cry out in rejection.

Princess Lila Rossi, whom Adrien had a courtship with years ago, stood up; her sly coy eyes revealing more than her words, "How are we supposed to trust you when you won't do something about this thief? He stole precious heirlooms from Vulpus. He needs to be stopped."

Adrien rolled his eyes secretly and gave a sideways glance at Nino, who also had a disgusted look. Lila lied; Chat Noir never stole 'precious heirlooms.' The only thing he stole was a cat statue that was rumored to point to the ring's location. Adrien was glad when they broke off their courtship years ago, due to Lila's rumored affairs.

Straightening out her back, Marinette stood her ground with determination pouring from her, "Chat Noir is not a threat. He will be left alone until I become Queen. This I command."

The crowd roared; Kings and Queens stood in yells of anger or of agreement. The arena grew in temperature as many began to verbally fight amongst themselves.

"How dare you command us!"

"You are not Queen yet!"

"Bring the thief to justice!"

Marinette took a step back in fear, froze from the eruption of negativity. Alya stood quickly in defence, crying out, "Let Princess Marinette speak!" She couldn't move from her family, but she tried with what she could do.

Marinette gulped, trying to swallow the rock of foreboding that threatened her. Her courage was fading, but she had to do this. For Creaturae. For her parents. For Alya. For Chat. For herself.

"Please! Please calm yourselves!" Marinette shouted, stretching out her hands and drawing out her magick unknowingly. A bright red wave escaped her fingers, pulsating through everyone. A warm breeze passed through them all, like spring-time. Ladybugs began to flutter inside through open windows, a mysterious wind carrying them. Everyone stared at Marinette with mouths agape, their anger and uneasiness forgotten. Never has a member of the House of Cheng done that at a Council meeting before. Powers were forbidden to be used during the meetings.

Adrien felt the warmth rush through his body, like an aura of tranquility. He stood, wanting to get closer to the source. In his eyes, Marinette was illuminating a steady pinkish hue. Her power was incredible and beautiful, like she. The urge to stand beside her was too much to bare, causing Adrien to take a step forward. But before he could, King Gabriel abruptly stopped him with a strong grip on his arm. Adrien saw his father grow a sinister smirk, as Gabriel walked forward instead. He had a dark maroon cane with a clear crystal orb on the top of it in his hands. King Tom and Queen Sabine took positions next to their daughter, defensively as Gabriel approached.

"It seems clear to me that you will be an amazing Queen," King Gabriel began, all eyes turning to him as he stood in front of Marinette, looking up at her, her parents, and then towards the people, "But it seems your powers are a bit uncontrollable." Gabriel completely faced the crowd, raising up his arms and thus, lifting his cane, "Do you want a manipulative Queen? She obviously used her powers to calm all of you. Who is to say she won't do that again? What other powers is she hiding? And defending a thief! Preposterous!"

Echos of "Gods No" "Keep her from the throne", and "All hail King Gabriel," reverberated through the amphitheater, causing Marinette to draw in a shaky breath. She didn't mean to use her powers. Had this man planned this? The delegates turned against her so quickly, Marinette's magick fading from them in almost an instant.

Adrien felt his own anger rising, but he quickly noticed a swift purple mist pouring from his father's fingers that were wrapped around the cane's crystal top. It was suttle and unnoticeable unless you looked directly at his hands. 'He is feeding the crowd negative emotions,' Adrien concluded, realizing his father has been doing this the whole time. No wonder everyone was on edge.

Adrien was about to speak up to call out his father, when King Gabriel continued, "Oh, I know, my fellow Council. But, we should still let Princess Marinette become Queen." He turned towards Marinette again, giving a fake smile.

"That is, if she would place The Earrings of Tikki on before the coronation."

Marinette and Adrien both inhaled sharply, the mentioning of the earrings flashing the same memory between both of them. Alya and Nino stiffened in their seats as well, realizing the turning of the situation.

Princess Chole stood up, causing some to look over at her. She spoke, as if scripted, "She wouldn't be so powerful then."

King Gabriel nodded, twirling his cane in the air as he began to pace in front of the crowd, the purple mist subsiding.

"That's right, Princess Chloe. As most of you are aware, The Earrings of Tikki block or lessen the powers of the reigning Queen. 'To insure equality without power' as it is said in Creaturae's constitution. It seems we should demand that Princess Marinette place the earrings on as soon as possible."

Prince Adrien's heart began to thunder in his ears, his fists digging into his palms and drawing blood. How **dare** him. Marinette will not be treated this way. The destruction threatened to call, but he strode in front of his father to address the Council himself and calm the animal within him. All eyes drew to him.

"As future King of Creaturae and Mortem, I take full responsibility for Princess Marinette," Adrien stated, loudly, "She does not typically have access to the vault until closer to her birthday. I will personally make sure Marinette does not use her powers for personal gain, if the Council would consider to let Marinette keep her family traditions and get the earrings on her coronation day."

Adrien turned to Marinette, trying to convey without words. Tears were falling from her eyes, but she held her head high and avoided his gaze. Adrien cringed, realizing he might have embarrassed her.

The people whispered in consideration. King Gabriel's face was unreadable as he stood behind his son, the mist gone from his hands. Marinette gripped her mother's and father's hands strongly, her eyes carrying the racing thoughts in her mind. The air grew to a still as the Council deliberated.

King Andre rose next to his daughter, as Chole sat back down, "All those in favor of letting Princess Marinette wait until her coronation, say aye."

About three fourths of the room erupted in "ayes".

"All those opposed, say nay," he continued.

Only a few of the Draconous Lords, the House of Rossi, and both King Andre and Princess Chole said "nay".

"Then it is settled," Adrien commanded. He looked at his father, eyes narrowed, then walked away towards Nino, who held a locked worried look. Marinette sat down at her seat, keeping her scream inside for now as her father continued the meeting.

Adrien searched and searched the whole palace for Marinette. He wanted to apologize and discuss the Council meeting with her, but her parents refused to tell him her location. Lady Alya wouldn't even speak to him, and Nino was busy trying to figure out who all King Gabriel had under his wings. Too many people from around the Seven Kingdoms turned quick this morning, and Adrien wanted to figure out why. Right after he spoke to Marinette. Adrien had almost given up hope, when he heard soft sniffles from under a marble stairwell inside a large closet. He opened the wooden door slowly, seeing his fiance curled up with her head in between her knees and her arms covering her face. A tiny square window shone light into the closet, giving natural beauty to Marinette's form. She hadn't changed clothes, but her tiara was crooked and her hair was super stringy.

"Marinette?"

She jerked up, tears falling hard down her face. She wiped them away with the back of her hand, then hardened her complexion. "What do you want? Come to take responsibility for me?"

Adrien's face softened, his heart tearing. "Marinette, I'm sorry for what happened. I had to do something or else we would have had an uprising in our hands." Adrien closed the door to the small space, sat down across from the Princess, and placed his hands in his lap to not seem threatening. Marinette stared into his eyes deeply, and Adrien knew it was embarrassment more than anything else that upset her. Using her powers, him having to take over for her; it was all too much.

"I believe my father was feeding the crowd negative emotions before you even started," he stated, "This wasn't your fault at all." He reached for her hand, but she jerked it back.

"You and him are in on this together, aren't you?!" she reacted, her voice rising, "You both planned this!"

Adrien narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, "No! I promise you on the soul of my mother that I do not work with my father. I know he has been trying to start a war, but I am limited by what I can do for now. I have been waiting for the moment when I can stop him from ripping the Seven Kingdoms apart!"

It grew quiet between them the words hung in the air. Marinette widening her eyes and knew in her heart that Adrien was serious.

Adrien sighed and leaned back against a wall of the closet, the space between them short so he had to draw his legs to his chest. He stared off into the distance, not wanting to say anything anymore.

Marinette crawled to sit next to him, bracing her shoulder on his. "I don't know what to do, Adrien," she whispered, placing her hands on her knees and staring at them, "I will place the earrings on if that pleases everyone." She sighed heavy, "I don't know what came over me back there."

Adrien grew a little stiff at Marinette's closeness, slowly relaxed as she spoke, and shook his head."Do what is right for you. Do what matters to you, okay?" He told her, turning to give her a small smile. She returned the smile, erupting a warm feeling in his stomach.

Suddenly, two pairs of hurried footsteps echoed, causing Marinette and Adrien to look over at the closed door. Voices were coming into focus,too. They both stood up, bumping into one another to lean against the doorway to listen.

"Natalie, make sure nothing happens to halt our progress." The voice of King Gabriel echoed to the young couple. "And now that we know Chat Noir is after the ring, too, we shall provide a reasoning for its' disappearance." Marinette quickly gripped onto Adrien's hand to tether her to reality, and Adrien thought nothing of it as he returned the gesture, trying to hear every word his father was saying.

"See to it that Princess Marinette and Adrien spend some time apart for now. They can not fall in love or it will ruin everything."

"Yes, sir," Natalie, King Gabriel's assistant spoke, her voice monotone.

Their voices began to drift farther away, as their steps grew distant.

Adrien and Marinette parted from their secretive place into the corridor, looking over at each other trying to process what they just heard. They both looked down at their hands together, retreating from one another like fire. The warmth of her hand highlighted Adrien's, and Marinette could feel a shadow pulse beat in her own.

"I have to go," they both said at the same time in hurried tones. Realizing their repetition, they quickly added,

"I have to go see Alya,"

"I have to go talk to Nino."

Harmonious laughter floated between the both of them..

"Go on, Princess," Adrien comforted, his voice low. He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it softly and lovingly. "Till tomorrow." He turned without another word and hurried off, not realizing his parting mistake.

Marinette stood there, stiff as stone. Her hand did not move from where Adrien left it.

It couldn't be. He **can't** be. She shook the thoughts from her head hard. A coincidence. That's all that was. He might look a bit like Chat Noir, but Chat Noir was a thief. Who smelled like the earth and who was honest, flirty, and cared about her. Marinette headed back to the closet she was crying in and grabbed the book she brought in with her. She was going to return the book after she felt better, but now, thanks to Adrien, and with this new information King Gabriel spoke about, Marinette knew what she had to do. She silently apologized to the head librarian and headed towards Alya's chambers. It was time to make a plan of action. Of course, without Alya knowing Marinette was developing feelings for an infamous thief and her soon-to-be husband.


	7. The Fox and The Turtle

Chapter Seven

The Fox and The Turtle -

Nino waited patiently outside of the amphitheater as delegates were pouring out, their loud chatter indistinguishable. Princess Marinette had already left with her family. Adrien hurried after her. Nino knew it was only a matter of time before they found one another and talked this over. That wasn't the best way that Council meeting could have happened, but what's done is done. Nino's job now, was to find out how deep King Gabriel's claws were in the other kingdoms.

A chilly breeze fluttered past, causing Nino to place his green hood over his head for protection. His house crest highlighted his wool jacket, the hunter green and golden embroidery handmade in the Kingdom of Testudo. Bulla, his cousin and Queen Regent, exited the arena, her brown hair high in a ponytail. Her diamond crown was two sizes too small for her big head, her nose pointy, and her back slightly humped. Her dress was a light blue color, with the turtle resting on her back. Not the prettiest woman in the world, even for a Queen.

"Bulla," Nino stated, coming up to her in haste as she continued walking forward. Her two rather large and identical looking bodyguards raised face as he approached.

"What do you want, cousin?" Bulla responded with a cold demeanor, her eyes facing forward as she came closer to her horse drawn stagecoach. She finally turned to him, crossing her arms over her chest. Some other delegates gazed over, curious at their interaction.

"We need to talk. Are you staying at the palace?" Nino shot a sideways stare at the bystanders, making them disapant.

Bulla sighed, nodding, "If you must know, yes. There is apparently open rooms there since someone's charge wanted to sleep in an old staff house. We will leave in the morning for Testudo."

"It isn't a-oh forget it," Nino commented, "Meet me at the 'old staff house' at sundown tonight, please."

A smirk graced the corner of the woman's lips, as she grabbed the handle to lift herself inside the turnout. She sat down, while her guards took positions as driver and shooter. Closing the small door, Bulla leaned out of the window and winked.

"Make me your famous bubble cookies, and I'll be there."

The driver made a clicking noise, making the horses trot off towards the palace. Nino grumbled under his breath at his cousin, knowing those cookies are going to take him a while to make. But he needed her information, since she was one of the first Nino and Adrien knew of that King Gabriel threatened. Turning around, the young Knight came face to face with Princess Lila, her face dark and hard. At this point, it was just them now outside of the area. She rose up to meet him, her eyes flashing uncertainty.

"I know what you are doing," she whispered softly, almost too quietly, "It won't work. Hawkmoth has it in for all of us." Her unusual nervousness reflected in her mannerisms.

"Hawkmoth?" Nino questioned in equality hushed tones.

Lila rolled back onto her feet, her face now unreadable and her demetour normal.

"Watch out for the butterflies," the young Princess stated nonchalantly, twirling her hair as she turned around to walk away. Processing this information, Nino stared off into the distance. Lila was not know for her reliable information, but this was also the first time she actually addressed him without being cruel about it.

Her words reverberated through him. 'Watch out for the butterflies' uh? What butterflies? And Hawkmoth? A code word? Bulla should know the answers to this, which means a lot of bubble cookies to make. Nino hurried past delegates,advisors, and the people of Creaturae to the palace, racing the sun there.

"That could have gone a whole lot better," Alya turned to her older sister, Lady Nora, as they casually walked back towards Creaturae palace through the town. Nora, being taller, broad in the shoulders, and skinny, caused many men walking by to turn their heads in confusion and admiration. But she ignored them all, looking down at her young sister with pride and appreciation.

"Prince Adrien even asked you where Marinette went to, right?" Nora asked, smirking and crossing her arms over her chest as they traversed. The rest of the Cesire family left on horse, but Alya and Nora wanted to spend some time together.

"I wouldn't even talk to him," Alya commented, returning the smile, "He will find her himself. It is better that way anyway."

"Why do you think the crowd went in an uproar like that?"

Alya stopped in front of a food vendor, paying for a jar of homemade jam. The vendor was smiling graciously and accepted the coins, while Alya replied back to her sister, "Something wasn't right with that. I think you-know-who was doing something." Code words passed between them, not truly knowing who was a spy and who wasn't.

Nora simply nodded back, understanding.

The two ladies of the House of Cesaire kept their steady pace through the crowds, enjoying the nice autumn weather and the busy streets. Alya held tightly her blackberry jam, thoughts racing. The world was tense, with the marriage easing some minds, but rumors as they walked were mostly on Chat Noir's appearance and the fact that King Gabriel and Prince Adrien are staying in Creaturae till the wedding. Nora and Alya, in reality, took this route to hear the people. With their subtracted status, they weren't truly seen as royalty here, just rich upper class, making others around them less afraid of speaking the truth.

As the sun was giving to the horizon, sunset was nearing in about an hour or so. Alya and Nora made it back to the palace, passing the Guest House Lord Nino and Prince Adrien were staying in. The smell of warm cookies drifted from a open window, causing Alya to stop short. She looked up to see smoke pouring from the chimney. Her sister kept walking for a moment before looking back.

"Lil sis?"

Alya waved, "Go on, big sis. I'll catch up with you later. I need to ask Lord Lahifee a question."

Nora raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Well tell turtle-boy I said hello." With that, the older woman turned and walked towards the entrance of the palace. Alya faced the stone building, raised her hand, and knocked on the door. A loud bang and a clash of glass echoed on the other side, when suddenly Lord Nino opened the door with a huff.

"Lady Alya!" Nino exclaimed, wiping flour from his face and hands. He bowed briefly, out of breath. A speck of flour still remained on his nose, his glasses dirty, and a green apron hung around his chest. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Clearly," Alya replied, a smile gracing her lips as she reached up with her finger and scraped off the last of the flour from Nino's nose. The soft touch sparked a warmth between them, but Alya brushed it off quickly. Nino blushed slightly and opened the door further for Alya to step inside.

"I haven't seen Princess Marinette since the Council meeting," Nino began, racing back to the kitchen to clean up his mess. He spoke louder as he cleaned, "But you are more than welcome to stay until my cousin arrives."

"I'm not here for Marinette," Alya responded, taking in the warm fire and gazing down at a beautiful violin stationed beside a leather chair. She smiled widely and said in just as loud of tones, "I wanted to see you."

Another loud crash from the kitchen caused Alya to jump and head steadfast towards the situation. She saw Nino with a broom, cleaning up glass fragments and a deep red flush on his face. He was adorable, and obviously a part-time chef.

Alya giggled, "Need some help?"

Nino didn't meet her gaze but nodded, reaching for a pan to scoop up the glass. "Can you check on the cookies in the oven? If they are blue, then they are done."

'Blue..cookies?' Alya mentally questioned but shuffled to the brick oven anyway. She placed her jam jar on the counter so as not to have it smashed to pieces like glass seems to become in this kitchen. Grabbing a dish towel, she opened the small metal door that closed off the brick oven and peeped inside. A rack of a dozen or so….blue cookies sat alof from the wood burning fire. "They're done," Alya responded, reaching for the peel to pull them out. Nino came up beside her, having thrown away the broken glass, and grabbed the peel from her gently. Their hands touched, either the warmth of the oven or their own electricity overcoming them.

"I'll...finished them up. Thanks, Lady Alya."

"Alya, just, Alya. Even when I was a princess, I hated titles."

Nino flashed a big smile, nodding, "Just Alya then." He reached in the oven and pulled out the cookie tray, placing it on the nearby countertop. The cookies jiggled a bit in the middle like soft dough, but were, in fact, very rich deep blue and smelled amazing.

"What's the occasion?" Alya asked, as she watched Nino clean himself up a bit and take off his apron.

"My cousin is coming, and she demanded I make her my famous bubble cookies. She used to eat them all the time with our grandmother, and I am the only one in the family who can replicate the recipe correctly." Nino laughed, cleaning up some dishes in the sink. His tone shifted a bit as he said, "I hope she can help me with a bit of a problem that has come up."

Alya nodded, her intuition on point, "King Gabriel."

Nino widened his eyes and gazed over at his guest, then snorted, "You are very clever, Alya. Yes, Bulla knows a lot more than she lets on about King Gabriel's intentions. After the meeting today, I want to know who all can turn at any moment once Marinette and Adrien get married."

Alya crossed her arms and leaned onto the adjacent wall, pondering,"I didn't like how today went either. While walking back here through town, my sister and I heard many towns people worried about Chat Noir as well. I didn't care for how King Gabriel seemed to brush off that subject."

Nino stopped his cleaning, facing Alya completely with a worried look, "You still think Chat Noir is working with King Gabriel?"

"I do. After meeting Prince Adrien at the library and learning about the Ring of Plagg, I realized that if King Gabriel had that as well as the Earrings of Tikki, he would be unstoppable." Alya turned her head to look at the hardening cookies, careful of her words, "A thief and a rotten King, as queer but as complete as those cookies."

A heavy sigh escaped Nino's lips, "Alya I-"

KnockKnoCKKNOCK

Three deafening attempts at a knock silenced Nino, causing his heart to leap madly.

He grabbed Alya in haste, "Hide, quickly!" Her objections were cut short as Nino opened a small coat closet and shoved Alya inside, the fur coats cocooning her. Another set of bangs reverberated, before Nino grabbed the door handle and pulled.

"Bulla! You're e-early!" He exclaimed, his cousin charging herself inside without a proper introduction. Her guards waited outside of the door on either side, their stiffness uncomfortable. Nino shut the door with his back, sweat forming on his brow. Bulla turned to look at him, annoyance dripping.

"Well?...Where are the cookies?"

"Right! The Cookies!" Nino responded, brushing pass the closet with Alya inside and leading his cousin into the kitchen. "They just came out not a moment ago, nice and fresh." Bulla pushed him aside and grabbed a still steaming cookie, taking a big bite and rolling her eyes back in pleasure.

"So good," she commented, finishing off the piece in her hand and grabbing another, shoving that in her mouth as well. Crumbs fell from her lips, and Nino shifted his face to disgust. He was related to his woman, though that was hard to believe right now. Focusing on the task at hand, he grabbed her hand before she reached for her fourth cookie, looking hard into her eyes.

"No more cookies until you talk to me about King Gabriel. Tell me his plan, who all he has controlled, and what is next."

Bulla swallowed hard, her eyes dashing around the room. She rushed to close the window that was in the kitchen, closed the oven door, and even the door that shut the kitchen off from the rest of the house. She sat down at the small breakfast table, gestureing Nino to sit across from her. He slowly took a seat, his cousin's fear rippling and worrying him.

"Hawkmoth has got almost every kingdom under his control," Bulla began, leaning forward.

"Wait-Hawkmoth? You mean King Gabriel?"

Bulla waved off Nino's ignorance."Yes, King Gabriel. Those of us who agreed to become part of his new kingdom call him Hawkmoth. That's what he wants, you know? To form one singular kingdom under his reign." Nino grew rigid, letting his cousin finish, "Since the untimely death of Queen Emile, Hawkmoth has felt it is only fitting that all of the Seven Kingdoms join together under one. We, the royals of the Seven Kingdoms, could have all done something to help her, he believed, but we didn't. He has been planning a takeover ever since. He has the Kingdoms of Vulpus, half of Draconus, Apis, and supposedly Testudo under his control."

Nino let in a deep breath, his theories confirmed. Adrien was not going to like this.

"But Queen Emile died of an accident. Why does he think the magick of the royal families could have helped her?" Nino challenged.

Bulla leaned back into her chair, her face like stone. "Not just any magick. Creaturae magick. The magick of life itself. But in order for Creaturae to gain permission to do something, the council had to vote. They all voted 'no', on the account that no one should be brought back from the dead, even royalty."

Nino brought his fingers to his chin, deeply lost in thought. He sighed again, standing up and grabbing a few cookies. He handed them over to Bulla, asking one final question as she munched. "What's the next move?"

She swallowed two cookies before saying, "Let the marriage happen, only to kill Prince Adrien and Princess Marinette to take over Creaturae. Chat Noir will be framed too, for the murder."

A raucous thud alerted both Nino and Bulla from outside the kitchen, as well as a soft moan. Nino realized it was Alya, so he coughed uncontrollably and drew Bulla's attention back to him. "Must have been the wind," he casually stated, opening the door and letting Bulla walk out to see no one there. "Thank you again, for stopping by. I hope you liked the cookies," Nino obnoxiously pushed Bulla closer to the door. "Adrien will be back soon, so thank you again."

Bulla began to try to speak, but Nino opened the door and pushed her out. "I hope to see you at the wedding, cousin!" He exclaimed, before slamming the door and locking her out. Letting out a deep exhale, Nino let his back and head fall onto the wooden door. Alya busted out of the fur nightmare, untangling herself. She looked up at him, her eyes scared. "Was all of that true, what she said?"

Nino nodded, taking his eyes away from the beautiful woman's fearful form, "Yes. Bulla doesn't lie. This information was confirmed earlier today by Princess Lila, as well."

"Princess Lila! You can not trust her! She is a manipulative bitch!" Alya shouted, drawing a fist and pounding it onto the back of a nearby chair. Nino shook his head, coming closer to Alya and placing a hand over her tight fist.

"I do not think she lied this time, since Bulla said the same things. We have to figure out how to protect Adrien and Princess Marinette." He squeezed his hand around her own, feeling her calm down. "I know Marinette is just as special to you as Adrien is to me. I swore on my family and my position to never let anything happen to him," Nino let a small smile tug at the corner of his lips. "The fox and the turtle are great protectors after all." He reached out his other hand for Alya to shake it in agreement. Alya stared deeply into Nino's brown gems that held such confidence, her heart skipping a beat. She pushed his hand away and grabbed him in a massive hug, gripping tight. Nino tried to retract for a moment, his red hue returning, but he returned the hug full force enjoying the comfort and the familiarity that came with being in this embrace.

Suddenly, a cacophony outside shook the two emerging lovers from their union.

"What in the Gods name was that?!," a bewildered Nino demanded, as they both rocketed outside.

They were greeted with Adrien punching Bulla right across the face, knocking her down with a enormous thud. Bulla's guards were nowhere to be found, and Marinette was standing aloft with horrified eyes and clinging a book to her chest.

"What the hell, man?!" Nino screamed, running to his cousin only to be stopped short by Alya. She pointed to Bulla's face, which was outlined with a hazy purple tattoo that looked oddly like a butterfly. Her eyes were darkened, almost black and her hair was standing on end. Bulla rose back up easy, taking a fighting stance towards Adrien.

"She is possessed by something! I saw it enter her body!" Adrien cried out, dodging to avoid another swing. Nino dashed in front of Adrien, drawing out his magick. A massive rich green turtle shield exploded from Nino's hands, bracing Bulla's oncoming storm of punches and scratches.

"Go to the Princess!" Nino demanded, letting Adrien race to Marinette from under cover. Bulla kept pounding and pounding on the shield, her face lit brightly by the tattoo. Erupting through the comotion came a sweet solemn melody, startling both Nino and Bulla. They both turned to see Alya, who had apparently raced back inside to grab Nino's violin. Her hands began to glow a illuminating orange color as she played the strings, the music filling the air. Bulla groaned deeply, dragging her feet towards Alya.

"Wait! Stop!" Nino shouted, trying to grab Bulla. But the woman dismissed him and fell to her knees, staring star-struck at Alya's playing. Tears began to fall down the Queen's face as the harmony over took her.

Alya slowly ceased her playing, carefully watching Bulla still stare at her with clouded judgement. Marinette and Adrien approached Bulla from the back; Adrien standing next to Nino as Marinette continued forward. The young Princess lowered herself beside Bulla, staring at the deranged woman with pity.

"I wonder…" whispered Marinette softly, lifting her hand up to Bulla's face. A warm crimson hue decorated Marinette's fingers and touched Bulla like a hurt babe, caressing her cheek with reverence. The warm touch paraded through Bulla, healing her almost instantly. Through her mouth, came out a lavender butterfly. It fluttered away into the night, it's wing beats hard and distressed..

"Goodbye little butterfly," Marinette's voice was barely above a whisper, as Bulla's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell into Marinette's lap, unconscious.


	8. Wrongfully Accused

Chapter Eight

Wrongfully Accused-

Marinette felt an uncertainty as she and Alya helped Nino and Adrien bring Queen Bulla inside the castle. Her instincts were screaming a warning that Marinette couldn't quite grasp onto. What was that butterfly? What happened to Bulla to make her go crazy? And towards the end, how did Marinette knew that she could save her with a magickal touch? These power gifts from the Gods have always been mysterious, though these acts of new found strength and power were signs of something.. Dangerous.. on the horizon.

"Guards! Quickly!" Marinette cried, alerting the on patrol force of brute men that typically watched the doorways this time of night. The metal armor plated knights came in a rush, grabbing onto Bulla and lifting her unconscious body with ease. They placed her onto a wooden bench, laying her down gently with a small pillow to support her head. The Queen was completely dead asleep, her breathing even and shallow.

"Alert the King," stated one guard to the other, sending the messenger off to chime the emergency bell. The group of young adults waited patiently for the calvary to arrive, King Tom leading the pack. He was dressed in uniform pajamas, with designs of croscants layering the clothes. Queen Sabine dashed beside him, her hair down and her white gown of silk as bright as the moon itself. Other staff members and even some delegates from other Kingdoms that were staying for the night ushered behind, keeping a safe distance.

"Someone please explain this. RIGHT .NOW. " King Tom demanded, pointing at Marinette and her friends.

"Something attacked and possessed Bulla, father!" Marinette cried, "It looked like a small purple butterfly! Adrien, Nino, Alya, and I tried to fight her off from attacking us!"

A stiffness overtook some of the crowd, a feeling of uneasiness flowing like a wave across the faces of some of the delegates and even a few of the house staff.

Adrien stepped forward, sensing the growing fear, "I was heading back to my cottage to speak with Lord Nino, when I saw Queen Bulla searching for her bodyguards. She said that she had just left Nino's, but now her bodyguards were nowhere to be found. She grew extremely scared and frightened, when suddenly a butterfly came from above and flew into her mouth."

"Did anyone else see this happen?" Queen Sabine addressed, crossing her arms over her chest. Adrien was about to speak, when a familiar form walked closer from within the crowd.

"I saw something."

Princess Chloe came into the light, her blonde hair completely straight and loose down her shoulders. She looked tired, dark rings forming under her eyes. A wool golden robe covered her form.

Everyone turned to her, Adrien and Nino with widened, surprised eyes; Marinette and Alya with hard narrow expressions.

Queen Sabine placed her hand onto Chloe's shoulder in compassion, saying, "Tell us, child. What did you see?"

Chloe took in a deep breath; big, alligator sized tears swelling up in her eyes. "I-I was taking a stroll before bed, when-when suddenly, I saw Adrien make that-that thing! Out of magick and sent it towards Queen Bulla!" Her stuttering was a sad attempt at pity. She reeled it in though, by pointing a shaking finger at Adrien. "He and her began to fight so I ran back to my room in fear." She turned to Queen Sabine, grabbing her into a massive hug, "I am sorry I didn't report it sooner! I didn't want to believe my dear friend Adriakins would do something like this!"

Anger rose inside Marinette's body, the heat threatening to consume her.

"She is lying!" she screamed, stepping closer with a drawn fist. Alya gripped her friend's arm hard and pull back, holding her from behind. "She wasn't even there!"

"Marinette, calm down. We will get to the bottom of this," Queen Sabine directed, rubbing Chloe's back as the girl cried into the older woman's shoulder. King Tom's heavy and deep sigh redirected everyone to him. He looked solemn over at Adrien, regretful of the words he was about to say.

"I'm sorry Adrien, but our laws are clear. Because someone accused you of a crime, we must arrest and hold you till the next full moon rises. A jury of peers will look through your case, and you will be assigned a representative," the King turned to the knights on duty, nodding for them to grab Adrien.

Adrien turned to stone, his head low in unwanted shame as the muscular guards grabbed him on either side.

Nino spoke up in defense, "I volunteer to be his representative, Your Highness. I also ask that I accompany them to the dungeon."

"Very well," King Tom replied, "Take them away."

As the guards, Nino, and Adrien made their ways through the crowd towards the dungeon, Marinette stood there and gazed out. She couldn't plead with her father, for the law was indisputable. But she had to do something. The crowd began to part back to their respectable chambers, and King Tom and Queen Sabine guided Princess Chloe back to hers. Max and the house doctor, Dr. Kim, took Bulla towards the nursing wing for treatment. With all of this though, Marinette thought it odd that her best friend was being extremely quiet. When they finally got to Marinette's room, Alya quickly shut and locked the door behind them.

"What is going on, Alya?!" Marinette demanded, placing the book she had been holding on to this entire time down on her desk. Alya's face morphed into extreme concern and woe, leading Marinette onto the bed as they both sat down.

"I will explain all what I know, and why we must stop Hawkmoth at all costs," Alya began, divulging all information she learned while with Nino. Marinette took it all in, gasping and shaking her head in denial. Marinette also explained what she heard King Gabriel and Natalie say, leaving out the part about holding hands with Adrien and that she thought he was Chat Noir for a moment.

"I bet anything he made Chole tell those lies to separate you two!" Alya concluded, standing up now and pacing back and forth.

"We must tell my father and mother at once!" Marinette exclaimed, rising up only to be stopped abruptly.

"No, we don't have enough proof. We know King Gabriel's intentions, yes, but it is our word against his."

Flopping down onto her desk chair, Marinette felt defeated. How are they suppose to prove anything and get her father and mother to see the truth? She glanced over at the fairytale book, flipping open one of it's pages to reveal the Goddess Tikki smiling back at her. The lady in red and black was so beautiful and seemingly poise. Marinette ran her fingers across the page, brushing upon the picture of the earrings. An important thought crossed her mind, causing her to pull out her calendar and check the date.

"Adrien can't stay in jail till the next full moon!" Marinette said excitedly, "We are getting married on that day!" Her heart skipped a beat the moment she turned to see a purple butterfly struggling to get outside through her balcony door.

"Alya!" she screamed, "Grab that creature!"

Suddenly, Alya dumped out the vase that held Chat Noir's flowers and Adrien's rose and snuck to capture the insect within. She guided the vase to the floor, sealing the bug between the carpet and the vase. The little butterfly kept hitting the top of the vase, making a small bumping noise.

"It's the same thing that was inside Bulla," Marinette whispered, crouching down to examine the 'thing' up close. Alya mirrored her, studying their options. A loud gasp escaped the young woman, and she grabbed her Princess's shoulders.

"We can use this to prove Adrien is innocent! He couldn't have made this if he was in the dungeon!"

A massive smile spread across Marinette's face, "Alya! You're a genius! Let's go talk to Adrien first and show him!"

The girls worked together to find a large enough piece of fabric to cover the hole of the vase, keeping the creature trapped. They exited into the hallway, careful not to draw attention to themselves from the night patrol. The entrance to the dungeon was smelly, like old milky cheese, and brightly lit torches guided the way down a flight of stone stairs. Their shoes clicked with each step, until they reached the bottom. Rows of iron bars and a sleeping guard greeted them, making the girls sneak slowly on their toes. They dashed their heads into each cell, until they came to the last one.

Adrien was on the straw bed, his arm over his eyes. Nino was inside the cell with him, reading a book under the light of a candle. He was the first one to notice the girls, dropping his book and standing up to greet them. Adrien heard him and removed his arm to look up. The Prince quickly straightened himself out and smiled sweetly at Marinette.

"Alya! Princess! What are you doing here?"

"Shhh," Alya commanded, pointing over at the sleeping guard, "We came to show you guys this."

Marinette presented the vase through the bars, letting the boys come closer. Nino brought the candle with him, bringing the light so they could see better.

"It's that butterfly from earlier," Adrien remarked in hushed tones, "How did you get it?"

"It was struggling to get out of my room," Marinette replied, her voice low. "We can use it to prove your innocent. I don't want you in here on our wedding day." She blushed a little and let a shy smile grace her lips towards the Prince.

Adrien let out a soft chuckle, returning the loving gesture.

Nino interrupted them with a cough, turning focus back to the object on hand.

"This has to be the work of Hawkmoth, but I have never seen magick like this before. Destruction magick can't do this; make tangible objects that can possess people. He must have gained additional power somehow."

The group all thought for a moment, the snoring of the guard echoing off of the walls.

"I think it has something to do with those magickal objects," Alya finally said, placing a fist in her hand in determination, "If there are objects for creation and destruction, surely there must be objects for the other Gods as well."

Nino nodded in agreement, "I agree with you. Additional research is needed to prove our theory correct." He pulled away Adrien from the bars, blowing out the candle, "But for now, go get some sleep, ladies, and meet us here in the morning. I will stay here with Adrien through the night."

Adrien smirked, placing a friendly hand on his retainer's shoulder, "Thank you, Nino."

Pulling the butterfly close to her, Marinette waved goodbye with the other hand to them both.

"Good night, Lord Nino. Good night...Adrien. Thank you for protecting me earlier."

With her kind words left in the air, Marinette and Alya returned up from the dungeons and headed back to Marinette's room for the rest of the night, deciding a sleepover was best for this situation.

The morning came, dawn arising through the sky in shades of blue, orange, and pink. Marinette was already up, standing outside on her balcony to watch the new day come. She couldn't really sleep, knowing her feelings for Chat Noir were right and that Adrien was locked in a cell. The warmth she felt for both men made her head swirl, but really, why? Only a few days have passed since she met them both, and yet, she was sad when she realized Chat didn't visit her last night. Maybe he realized Alya was with her. Maybe he already left town.

Maybe he was Adrien….

No, she shook the thought away. Prince Adrien seemed so proper, and Chat was so..wild. But really, could someone have two sides like that? Before Alya came to train her, Marinette was so super clumsy, not confident in herself, and felt unworthy to become Queen. Looking back, it seems like she also has two sides to her as well. Some moments, she reverts back to that child she was, feeling doubtful of her abilities. But she was born to become Queen, and that is what she plans to do. A tingling sensation through her fingers caused Marinette to look down, seeing a white light encase her hands. Trying to remain calm, she walked back inside through the open door to alert Alya who was sleeping in her big chair, when she passed by the vase with the butterfly. It wasn't struggling as much now.

Marinette drew her hands closer to the creature, feeling the energy surrounding it. So much fear fueled this insect that Marinette had to close her eyes to try and block it out. She wrapped her hands around the containtor, letting the white light fill it to the brim. It receded to show just a white butterfly now, batting it's wings softly.


	9. Shouldn't we prepare?

Chapter Nine

-Shouldn't we prepare?-

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you again, each and everyone, for all the amazing reviews, kudos, likes, reblogs, and love! It makes me so happy that you love my work. I have to say though, that I will not be updating next week since it is my husband's birthday. Stay tuned for the next chapter on October 19th. I apologize for this one being kind of short though, since I want to make the next one pretty in depth and full of the four of them interacting! Plus some Chat Noir ;) Don't forget, if you like my work, you can support me on or buy me a coffee! Thank you again!

Adrien realized the sun must have been rising when a lone sliver of light peeped through the ironed bar hole they called a window in here. Sleep escaped him all through the night, the urge to run as Chat Noir (and maybe visit Marinette) kept him awake. Additionally, the thought that his father was Hawkmoth, the whole world was in danger, and that Adrien still has yet to get the ring didn't make his slumber anymore peaceful. Nino was content though, asleep on a makeshift mat of hay and a blanket, snoring like a bear. They were also up most of the night discussing the whole situation, from the information Bulla gave to what needs to happen next. While Adrien was aware of many of the nasty things his father has done to get what he wants, he wasn't aware of just how deep the hole was. The name Hawkmoth was floating around the townfolk of Mortem long before Adrien decided to hunt for the ring to help himself and stop his father. Adrien didn't know his father blamed Creaturae for not reviving Mother, or that even House of Cheng magick could bring people back from the dead. When him and his father discussed **the plan** before, it was just so they(truly his father) could take over the kingdom for the good of Mortem. None of this, completing controlling the whole world. And the Artifacts...What connection could they have with King Gabriel/Hawkmoth?

Marinette kept reappearing in the young prince's thoughts, however. When she was there at the fight, all he wanted to do was protect her at all costs. He was afraid of himself just as much as he was afraid of Bulla, for what if he accidently killed the Queen of Testudo by defending himself? Bringing his hand to his face, Adrien called upon a portion of his power to see the black, bubbly mist twist and lace through his fingertips. He let the magick dance for a moment, before suddenly hearing footsteps coming closer. Shaking off the magick, he rose up to see Max standing in front of his cell with a guard beside him. Wasn't Max the head of the house staff?

"How is Queen Bulla?" Adrien asked upfront. He felt it right to worry about his best friend's cousin after all.

Max gave a warm smile, nodding, "She is stable and healing nicely. Thank you for asking." His face grew firm though with his next words, "Please follow me. I have been ordered to escort you to the conference room."

Adrien felt a pit drop in his stomach. He hoped his father wasn't involved. Shaking Nino awake, which resulted in a grunt and moan from the knight, the two followed Max and the armored guard up the stairs and towards the end of the wing, where a massive open door greeted them. Inside was a round wooden table that sat many seats, with a few familiar faces turning to see them.

And of course, who would be there but King Gabriel, looking as stiff and as regal as ever. His nose was tilted upwards as Adrien walked inside.

"Couldn't you have at least let him bathe before seeing us?" The treacherous King commanded, placing his hand over his nose in disgust as Adrien and Nino took a seat close by.

"Good morning to you, too, father," Adrien sassed, feeling exhausted and really tired of this bullshit. King Gabriel just huffed and rolled his eyes in response.

King Tom and Queen Sabine looked tired too, their eyes heavy with worry and fear. What were they talking about before Adrien and Nino came in? A few tears were stuck on the Queen's cheeks, only seen by the approaching sunlight through the stained glass window.

"Prince Adrien," King Tom began, placing his hands on the table, " This situation is complex, and we have been speaking to your father in order to come to a compromise."

A feeling of dread washed over the prince, knowing his father was never one to compromise with anyone.

" _I_ suggested we return to Mortem and call off the wedding completely. It is obvious that you and Princess Marinette do not get along and therefore need to be separated. Princess Chloe has offered to take her place as your bride," King Gabriel spoke with a posh manner, "But it seems as though since we are under tready, you have to face a trial."

Adrien tried not to let confusion over take his face. What about the plan that **he had to be** the one to kill Marinette? Not even Nino knows about that, and yet, it seems as though his father decided that Adrien was too much of an uncertain risk without discussing anything with Adrien first. Come to think of it, Adrien really hasn't had one on one time with his father since they arrived here a little over a week ago. Was Adrien really suppose to kill Marinette, or was the plan simply a diversion for the bigger things Hawkmoth had in store?

A soft knock came from the door frame, in which the room turned to see Marinette and Alya standing there. They both were dressed casual, with the Princess looking just as tired as Adrien felt. The vase was coddled in Marinette's hands, close to her chest. No one mentioned formalities as the two girls came closer to the table.

"Good Morning sweetie," Queen Sabine greeted, smiling widely, "What have you got there?"

Marinette placed the vase on the table, in which Adrien noticed the bug was no longer purple, but white as a sheet. "This is going to prove Adrien is innocent," Marinette began, "This is the same creature that attacked Queen Bulla last night."

Queen Sabine grabbed the container from her daughter and examined the creature, passing it along to her husband as well.

"Didn't Princess Chloe say the butterfly was purple? That is clearly a common white bug," King Gabriel stated, as King Tom handed the vase to him. King Gabriel let King Tom place it on the table and not in his hands.

Marinette stood her ground, "I purified it."

Queen Sabine gasped loudly and King Tom's eyes went wide. They didn't say anything, but looked extremely lost in thought.

King Gabriel raised an eyebrow, hiding an obvious smirk, "Is that so, child? Purified it of what, exactly?"

"Fear," the Princess answered, confidence embracing her, "That butterfly was given the emotion of fear; pure, deep, unrelenting terror."

The Queen covered her mouth again in shock, turning her eyes to her husband, "How is that possible? It was lost with the other one ages ago-"

"Shh, now love," King Tom quickly cut her off turning his eyes to his daughter with a covering smile, "Marinette handled it, right, sweetie?"

A flag rose inside Adrien's mind from that exchange, and he knew the others made a mark to discuss that later as well. Marinette released the fabric from the lid and reached her hand inside the vase. She gracefully let the butterfly sit upon her finger as she walked towards an open side window, releasing the insect forever.

"You see, we found that in my room as Adrien was in the dungeons," she stated, "So there is no way he could have created it, even before." Marinette let herself glance at Adrien and release a small smile, "Therefore there will be no need for a trial."

King Tom pondered for a moment, glancing over at his wife with unspoken words. She nodded as if she understood, causing the King to nod his head back.

"We will still have a few of the Draconian Lords look over the case, but for now, Prince Adrien may go free. He needs to spend time with his bride-to-be, after all."

King Gabriel pounded his fists onto the table, causing the room to jump, "I demand to choose the Lords who oversee the case! How can I trust that you will pick ones that aren't balanced?"

"I beg your pardon!" Queen Sabine rose sharply, "How dare you accuse us of swaying the Lords! When you have clearly-"

"Enough!"

King Tom's voice pounded the room, his hand slapping the table in notice. "You shall pick the Lords, King Gabriel, and we will meet with them tomorrow." He stood up, grabbing his Queen by the hand and nodding towards Hawkmoth, "We are going to get some breakfast and say goodbye to the departing delegates. Thank you for your time." The King and Queen kissed their daughter goodbye on the cheek and left the room in haste.

Adrien looked over at his father from the corner of his eye, noting the evil smirk that the older man was trying to hide. This was going too well.

"I will be departing too," King Gabriel pushed his seat back as he stood up, "I have some Draconian Lords to speak to." Without another word, he walked out, leaving the four young adults alone.

"Something is not right," Alya whispered, approaching Nino and hugging herself tightly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a courtly manner.

"We should prepare ourselves," Nino responded, tightening his fist. Adrien gave a soft smile at his best friend and his blooming relationship. They fit well together. As the thoughts of a relationship floated in his mind, Adrien turned to Marinette, noticing her eyes were adrift. She stared out the window she released the butterfly in.

"Marinette, what's wrong?" he asked sweetly, approaching her with a soft touch on her shoulder. She jumped a little, but responded with a bright smile.

"Nothing…"She shifted her eyes again, "Well, I was just thinking about that butterfly. And what mother and father said…"

"I was just thinking about that, too," Alya responded, with Nino's arm tightening around her. "We need to figure out what that was all about."

Adrien thoughts flashed to something he read, the words circling his mind. Master Fu knew the God's secrets more than anyone. His face grew serious, "Let's head back to the library and get Master Fu's journal. I bet there is a clue in there I missed."

"But first," Nino commented, releasing Alya and indicating to himself, "I desperately need a bath."


	10. The Quiet Library

Chapter Ten

-The Quiet Library-

 **Authors Note: Here is one of the reasons why this is rated T 16+. Warnings for mentions of blood and some cussing. I had to split this chapter and the next one up, but I'll tell you right now, the next one is all about some MariChat~ I apologize for the late upload. Please stay tune for after Halloween for the next chapter though! I celebrate Samhain, so I will be taking this time with my family and friends. Thank you again to everyone! If you would like to read chapters a day early, consider supporting me on . If you would like to leave a tip, please consider buying me a coffee?**

Marinette and Alya, in thoughtful silence, made their way towards the library to meet the boys after having been prepped and fixed up by their ladies, Rose and Juleka. The two maids explained how many of the house staff have seemingly been sworn to some sort of secrecy. No one talked about Prince Adrien going to jail, how Queen Bulla was possessed, or even that Princess Chole supposedly saw everything. Rose and Juleka knew that in all of the hustle, someone on the staff must know what was going on. Marinette and Alya couldn't bare to explain to the two girls that Hawkmoth/ King Gabriel was planning on completely taking over the kingdoms in a vengeance fueled rage. Word would eventually get back into town, which would cause a panic, which would definitely lead to war.

Marinette let out a heavy sigh as her thoughts swarmed. She hated keeping secrets from her people, hated not being upfront and honest. But the need to find evidence before she accuses King Gabriel was more important then outing him. The questions swirled, as the realization that her parents might also be keeping secrets from her echoed in her mind. And this type of new magick, having some sort of connection with the divine artifacts? Marinette needed answers. She clung tightly to the book Chat Noir had left, remarking to Alya she had checked it out earlier and wanted to return it. In the commountion of the passed few days, Alya shrugged it off as coincidence that Prince Adrien was looking at the same book when they met in the library before.

The library was particularly quiet today, with no bard playing sweet melodies as you entered. Adrien and Nino were hanging by the central counter, one boy with arms crossed and the other looking off in the distance. Marinette noted how Adrien looked particularly tired, but still very handsome. But he carried a heavy weight around him that was almost too obvious to bare. He turned his head as the girls walked up, giving a warm smile directly to Marinette. A blush tried to creep across her face as she returned the gesture.

"I hope you weren't waiting long. You guys look a little more well-rested...and clean," Alya joked, giggling and pulling on Nino's very nicely pressed clean white tunic. Nino brushed her off with a wide brimmed smirk.

"Very surprising what a bath can do, you know?" he remarked back, "And no, we just got here ourselves."

Adrien butted in, his concern rippling, "Marinette, this isn't going to interfere with your studies and getting ready for the wedding, is it?"

The young Princess's heart jumped at the loving gesture with a sweet smile across her face, and she shook her head in response.

"I explained to my other tutors that I will be studying with Alya today. Besides, I am making my own dress for the wedding. Everything else apparently has already been taken care of- according to my mother, at least."

Adrien looked cautiously relieved, letting out a deep breath, "That's good." A smirk flashed across his face. "Making your own dress, uh? I can't wait to see you in it~"

Chat Noir's face came alive in Marinette's mind as Adrien said those words. Electricity flared between them in an instant, but Alya coughed to lower the mood. She stepped in between Adrien and Marinette, almost to cut the affection.

"Let's find Mylene, shall we? I will rather work with her then Madame Mendeleiev in trying to get the journal."

Marinette looked around again at the almost abandoned library, realising the usual greeter was gone as well. "She should be here." A chill brushed passed the princess, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand, "Something isn't right..."

The others nodded in agreement, a tense feeling drifting between them all. Marinette placed the book she was carrying onto the counter, tapping a little bell on the desk. The ring reverbated the marble walls of the library, bouncing off the shelves. Nervousness bundled in the pit of Marinette's stomach, her heart flaring up in exuberant fast-paced beats.

"Madame Mendeleiev?!" cried the Princess aloud, "Mylene?!"

A soft echo of her own voice greeted her back, then silence.

Adrien came closer to Marinette in protection, grabbing her hand in a swift, gentle motion. In another moment, Marinette would have felt lighter than air, but her gut was always right and right now it was screaming about the state of the library. She tightened her grip on Adrien's hand and looked at the others with a distraught face, "Let's go to the offices. Keep your eyes open for purple butterflies."

Holding tight to Adrien's hand, Marinette and the others walked towards the back of the library where Madame Mendeleiev's and Mylene's offices were. The erie quietness that greeted them was unsettling. Marinette never saw this place so empty before, in all her days coming and going from here. Mylene would greet her with a smile, or Madame Mendeleiev would already have ten books set aside for Marinette to read as punishment for something. Memories of her time running through the maze of knowledge and chasing after Chloe seeped into her mind, with every passing bookshelf a reminder.

Adrien gave her hand a gentle squeeze, as they both were lagging a bit behind from the others. Marinette turned her head and gave the prince a reassuring smile, "I'm okay; just lost in thought and worried."

The Prince nodded in understanding, facing forward as he continued walking, "I know that feeling all too well." He tightened around her hand, then let go quickly as if his tone shifted with his own words.

Like before, she felt an emptiness as soon as his hand left, the warmth being replaced by the icy chill of abandonment. His words were laced with a hidden meaning, Marinette noted, too. She felt complied to question him further, but the two approached the others who were crouched on either side of a wooden door. Mylene's office, so marked by the plaque on the front. Alya shushed them all quietly, pointing to the small keyhole on the door that was illuminating light. She then pointed at her own ears in representation.

Adrien and Marinette dropped down to the floor and crept closer to the door, listening in. Voices became clear on the other side as their ears pressed on to the wood.

"Where is it?! I won't ask again!"

"I-I-told you...I don't kn-know…"

"Madame Mendeleiev seemed to think otherwise…"

Instantly, Adrien and Marinette met each other with wide eyes of connection. Hawkmoth, with Mylene! The couple backed away from the door, as Alya and Nino readied themselves with a summon of magick at their fingers. Adrien drew deep to call upon his powers, the destruction howling at an opportunity. Nino flung the door open quickly.

"Stop right there, Hawkmoth!"

A human-like creature, tall and covered in almost a silver, metal like material, faced the improaching group with Mylene clenched by the throat. She was struggling, choking, her feet dangling at least a meter from the floor. It had wild eyes, a large mouth with broad teeth showing, and a purple winged brooch resting on its collar. The group stood there in stoned fear at the sight, unable to move closer. This was the true form of Hawkmoth?! Of King Gabriel? That didn't even look like King Gabriel anymore…

A single second passed, causing Hawkmoth to drop Mylene to the ground with a echoing loud thud. She began to cough repeatedly, rubbing her throat to ease the now bruised skin.

"Dark Wings, Rise!" Hawkmoth shouted, raising his arms to his sides. A cloud of white butterflies swarmed around him from out of nowhere, encasing him in a bubble of wings. The wind whipped through the room, causing Marinette and the others to cover their faces to avoid flying papers. The bubble of wings grew smaller and smaller, tighter and tighter, until it formed into a singular purple quite large, insect.

Adrien was the first to act; pushing Marinette and the others back and running up with a hand flexed full of energy. The bug was quick, zooming back and forth to avoid the death that was hunting it down. Adrien tried to block it off from the open window, but it swopped low through his legs and out into the midday sun, fluttering fast into the sky.

"Damnit!" screamed the prince, punching his fist into the wall beside the window. A ripple effect caused the stone to bow and crack under Adrien's bleeding knuckles, the red ooze dripping down the side of the wall onto the floor.

Marinette's first thought was Mylene's safety, and she crouched low in front of the girl. A hand on each shoulder, she spoke softly but quickly to the scared girl, "Are you alright?!"

Mylene nodded her head rapidly, still unable to speak clearly. Nino approached from behind to assist Adrien, closing the window and ripping a piece of his white shirt apart. He dressed the boy's wounded fist, his face solemn and unreadable. Alya acted next, summoning her magick with a whistle and producing a 3 tailed small fox by her side.

"Go get Dr. Kim," Alya commanded the creature, sending it out of the library. It phased through the walls in an instant.

Mylene coughed again, her throat skin now a combination of black, blue, and red blisters. Drawing into herself, Marinette brought her hand up to the wound. The pinkish hue of her magick glittered on contact with Mylene's skin, gliding across it to reveal it healed underneath.

"That should help you feel a little better, but I am sorry I can't really heal much more than that right now," Marinette stated, lifting herself up and pulling Mylene up with her. The young girl nodded again, this time able to breathe in deeply.

"Thank you, Princess," she finally said, turning around sharply. She walked behind her desk, back to the group, and pulled off the painting of the royal family that sat on the wall. There lied a metal safe with a combination lock and spin handle. Mylene rushed the input, opening the iron door. Marinette studied with curious eyes as Mylene turned to them with a worn, torn leather journal in hand.

"I had a feeling Madame Mendeleiev was under Hawkmoth's control, so I kept this hidden away," Mylene whispered, bringing the journal into full view.

"Master Fu's journal?" Adrien said, coming up to Marinette's side. He was cradling his hurt hand close to his chest, the emotions raging within him unable to be comprehended.

Mylene nodded, handing it out towards Marinette to grab. The Princess took extra care in handling it, feeling the rough edges of the book on her skin.

"What happened here?" Nino finally spoke up, crossing his arms over his chest and coming up next to Alya.

Mylene sighed, wrapping her arms around herself in comfort. "I came in for my shift, but Madame Mendeleiev told me to go get something from my office as soon as I arrived. I realized something was wrong when the library was so quiet. I came in here, only to be attacked by that thing that called itself, Hawkmoth. He was looking for the journal…"

Marinette's mind went full thunder, piecing together all the information. "What happened to Madame Mendeleiev?" she asked with worry laced in every word..

Tears started to form in Mylene's eyes, "I-I don't know."

A knock on the door caused the party to turn. Dr. Kim, a muscular man with a fancy haircut, greeted them. His bag of medical supplies gripped with white knuckles of fear and worry.

"It isn't everyday a fox spirit leads me somewhere," he joked, coming inside the office. He was noticeably shaken up from the tense atmosphere. Marinette turned completely and greeted him, her face soft but her tone serious.

"Dr. Kim, Mylene and Prince Adrien are both hurt. Please attend to them."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the doctor said without question, placing his bag on a nearby table and opening it up. He began to work on Adrien first, cleaning the dried blood and applying sterilization. Alya placed an arm around Mylene's shoulders as a comfort, rocking the girl back and forth slowly while she cried.

Marinette brought the book closer to herself and walked out of the office as Dr. Kim began to work, taking in deep even breaths to steady herself. So that was Hawkmoth's true form. That power though, that magick. Marinette never in her wildest nightmares could have imagined such a foe. She gazed down at the journal, feeling the leather binding with her palm. The Legendary first Draconus Lord, Master Fu. If Hawkmoth wanted this, then surely answers to the questions that plagued Marinette will be found in its pages. Chat Noir would be the next best person to discuss this with, considering his interest in the artifacts too. Maybe he knew something more? Tonight, for the first time, she wished deeply that he would visit her.


	11. The Promise of Thief

Chapter Eleven

-The Promise of a Thief-

Night couldn't come fast enough for Adrien's liking. He was reverberating throughout from anger, rattling thoughts of the strange magick his father now possesses, and the tugging feeling he saw that creature form of Hawkmoth somewhere before. The whole time he wanted to talk to Marinette about the journal now in her possession, to figure out what exactly his father thought was in there, and maybe get answers of his own, but his feeling of responsibility towards Mylene and making sure she was going to get back home alright occupied his time. Marinette and Lady Alya departed for the rest of the night a little while ago, knowing Adrien and Nino had Mylene well taken care of. All of them agreed not to tell Dr. Kim what happened, or even the King and Queen, for it was their word against King Gabriel's still. Mylene wasn't aware of who Hawkmoth truly was, just of his influence and name since she overheard the Head Librarian speak about it. Adrien was washed over with a sense of relief at that.

The Prince of Mortem kept looking at the disappearing sun while escorting Mylene to the stagecoach turnout that was going to take her back to Ovium. Nino was silent beside him, his arms crossed, and his face twisted with unspoken worry.

"Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help, okay?" Adrien stated towards Mylene as he grabbed her hand to help lift her into the compartment. Adrien's personal setout driver, nicknamed Gorilla, sat at the reigns with a stiff grip and a blank outwards expression. Adrien shook his head with a smirk at the large silent man, then glanced back towards Mylene. She flashed him a small smile of kindness.

"Thank you, Prince Adrien. You have done so much already. My husband is waiting for me at the border now, thanks to you. Goodbye, Your Majesty."

"Take care, Mylene." Nodding in satisfaction, Adrien tapped his hand a few times on the side of the coach. Gorilla took the sign, made a clicking noise towards the horses, and off they went in stride.

The two boys turned and began their journey back to the guest house as Mylene's ride escaped into the forest towards Ovium.

Once the house came into view, Nino finally spoke; his tone in a plea, "Please don't go out tonight."

Taken-aback, Adrien opened the front door to let Nino in as well as himself. Nino always let him run as Chat Noir, knowing how important this mission is to him as well as the sense of release from the confines of society Adrien felt every time he wore the mask.

"Where did this come from?" Adrien questioned, closing the door behind them both and watching Nino flop down into his chair with a deep heavy sigh. His best friend lifted his head to meet Adrien's eyes, begging with them.

"I can't protect you when you are out there. What if Hawkmoth finds you? He obviously knows about your other self, even if he doesn't know who you are under the mask," Nino let out another heavy, deep breath, "He probably knows you will go visit the Princess, too, as Chat."

Adrien's body grew rigid, the worries that have obviously been plaguing Nino raced across the prince's mind now too. But determination flooded through Adrien, as he took the seat across from his best friend and protector.

"Give me this last night, and I swear I will not go out as Chat Noir anymore. I really need to talk to Marinette without her feeling obligation towards me. She is more comfortable around Chat then Prince Adrien." Leaning his elbows on his knees, Adrien let confidence and trust dance across his face. Nino looked unmoved for a moment, then he smirked with a huff.

"This is the last night then," Nino agreed, grabbing his violin from it's resting place. The Knight began to play a somber tune, expressing the inner turmoil that was pent up inside them both. Adrien took the gesture as his cue to leave to his room and get dressed.

Placing the black mask on his face, he glanced at the floor length mirror in his room one last time. So this is it, uh? The last time he was going to be this sweet freedom, the rush of adventure, and the lack of obligation. Chat Noir stared back at Prince Adrien, the addiction of the life of a thief seemed like such an easy thing to give up, but now… It was like cutting off a limb. Grabbing his gloves, Chat Noir looked down at the bandaged hand of Prince Adrien, and the reminder that the chaos that lie dormant within needed to be stopped and Hawkmoth's threat over the world.

Out the window and into the night shadows, the thief went in hidden darkness clinging to the world he would surely miss.

The Princess was already outside to greet him when Chat dropped in. She was bundled up with not only a robe, but a blanket across her shoulders. A mug of steaming liquid was encased in her hands, and she was staring out to the rising moon. Chat came up to stand next to her, trying to see the world through her eyes once again.

"I was hoping you were going to stop by tonight," she whispered to him, taking a sip of drink and side-glancing at him with a glimmer in her eye.

Did she...miss him?

Flirting with disaster, Chat flashed a toothed grin, "Princess, I am honored you missed me. I apologize I didn't visit sooner." Chat reached for and grabbed one of Marinette's hands softly, placing a sweet kiss upon it. He looked up to see rosy cheeks on Marinette's face, and her eyes dancing with excitement.

"Silly kitty," Marinette muttered, a smile never leaving her face. She made her way towards her open balcony door and entered her room, almost as if she knew Chat would follow behind. As to not upset the beautiful woman, Chat did follow, closing the door behind him.

A feminine-shadow under Marinette's balcony dashed away as soon as the click of the door was heard.

Chat studied Marinette as she placed her blanket upon her bed and put down her cup. She pulled out a small key attached to a string that was around her neck and reached for a circular tiny pink and white box. It had a arm size hole on the front of it, and as the Princess turned the key and opened the box, Master Fu's journal laid within.

"I have something to discuss with you," she commented, putting the key back around her neck and bringing the journal closer to herself.

Chat was curious, wondering if the Princess was thinking of the same questions he had earlier that day. He came closer to her, standing just enough away. "What is it, Princess?," he questioned, placing his arms behind his neck in a relaxed pose.

"This is a very important piece of history that might have some answers to help you, but I have to have you promise me that you won't go looking for trouble if we find anything," Marinette demanded, narrowing her eyebrows towards the thief. She kept the volume tucked away in her arms as if waiting for an answer.

Chat let a whole belly laugh overtake him, mostly from how cute Marinette looked right at this very moment. Her nose was squished up, her cheeks flared, and her eyes shone with resolve. How could he not laugh at the situation at hand? Especially since he knows about the journal already.

"Chat, this isn't funny!" she countered, stomping her foot in retaliation and looking even more adorable.

Wiping away a lone tear, Chat let his laughter subside, "Relax, Princess. You are too cute when you are serious, you know?"

Another flash of embarrassment rushed over Marinette's face, and she turned her head to gather herself. Chat took moment to reach out and cup her face lovingly, turning her head to look at him again. He felt the warmth of her cheeks through the gloves.

"I promise I won't go looking for trouble," he commented with another smirk, dropping his hand from her before the passion that was blooming inside got the better of him. He added, "But if trouble finds me, I will do something about it."

Marinette let out a low breath, drew a small smile and nodded, "Fair enough."

She brought the leather-bound book into view between them. "This is the journal of Master Wang Fu, the first Draconius Lord. He supposedly speaks about the formation of the kingdoms, the gods, and their artifacts."

Knowing she would expect a reaction, Chat let out a fake gasp and reached for the book, but Marinette pulled back. "Let's look together," she stated, leading them towards her bed side. They sat down at the same time right on the edge, just enough away from one another as to not brush upon knees.

Making sure to think of the right questions, Chat asked with a fake curious look, "How did you get it?"

Marinette's face changed in a flash to a solemn, almost darkening shadow. "Have you ever heard of Hawkmoth in your circles?"

Chat felt the hair on the back of his neck rise from the mere mention of his father's alias, but he had to quickly think of something as to not raise the Princess's suspicion.

"I have," he quickly blurted out, weaving the lie easy, "Remember when I said I have a personal reasons for getting the ring? Hawkmoth killed my mother…" That wasn't a whole lie, nor was it the honest truth.

Marinette gasped, placing a caring hand on the masked face of the thief. Her hand was warm from the hot mug earlier, almost filling Chat with a passionate blaze.

"I'm...I'm so sorry," she stuttered out, rubbing her thumb up and down his cheek in a soothing manner. The caring touch almost made Chat tear up due to the pent up emotions he has been holding back all day. He couldn't break down...not here...not now.

Chat grabbed her hand and pulled it away, needing to change the subject, "Let's continue, shall we?"

Marinette nodded in understanding, opening up the book with care. From back when he viewed the book in the library, Adrien remembered that Master Fu only briefly discussed the ring and the earrings. The details were more focused on the way the Gods came to be, how they decided on the kingdoms, and what measures they took to insure peace. Chat watched as Marinette studied the first page with focused attention, Adrien remembered correctly- the first encounter Master Fu had with the Gods themselves all those many years ago.

Chat took this time to give Marinette a once over, really absorbing her form into his memory. She was so relaxed around Chat, and though she now was using his first name and holding his hand as Adrien, he wanted Marinette to feel at ease like this all the time. Though, what would she say when he told her the truth? He stole to get the ring, sure, but he did love the thrill of it, the sense of uncertainty, and the fun of running away from shouting officers of the law. Then the promise he made to Nino only a few minutes ago replayed in his memory… He wasn't going to come back tomorrow night… Or any other night…

"Princess, I will be leaving tomorrow…" There, he said it, blurting it out so abruptly that he almost thought he might have been mistaken. But the reaction of Marinette was all too real.

"Wh-What did you say?" she stuttered out, looking up at him quickly; the book on her lap forgotten now. She placed it on her bed to move a little closer to him. Chat swallowed to gather his voice, clenching and unclenching his fists to steady the threatening magick within him.

"I-I have to leave since it has come to my attention that my presence here has caused some..problems for you and your family." It was Adrien who truly felt that way. Him being engaged to Marinette-supposedly only to kill her and her family- has made Adrien feel like he is betraying all that Marinette's amazing family stands for. But he was forming a crush, a really deep crush, and that would just hurt them both. Chat turned his face away from the Princess, refusing to meet her eyes in shame.

That is, until a pair of hands forced him to look her way, and a warm pair of soft lips came in contact with his own.

Lighting.

That's what it felt like.

A strike of lighting within his very core being.

Chat didn't hesitate to close his eyes and place his hands over the Princess's. He leaned more into the kiss, noting how her lips perfectly matched his, how wholesome and safe and ..just...right… it felt to kiss this amazing woman. Even the destruction within him flared up in happiness, but Chat knew it didn't want to destroy. Before he could put more attention and passion into the moment, the Princess parted. She rested her forehead upon his, a glow beamed across her face.

"Please...don't go," she whispered, her breath mingling with his. Chat's heart twisted into knots, her plea taring at his soul. Then Chat noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Marinette must have noticed too, for she broke away from him to look down at her bed.

The leather cover of the journal was shining a steady embodied golden dragon, pulsating like a heart. The dragon looked very similar to the current crest of the Draconus Lords, save for the creature's eyes glowing with each flash of light and it seemed to be pointing to the clasp that held the journal together.

"This...is ancient magick," Marinette said in hush whispers, reaching her hand out to lift back up the book. Upon contact, the book began to hover as it opened causing Marinette to retreat back quickly. Pages began to flip madly in front of them, then stopped towards the middle of the book. The journal lowered itself back down on the bed, keeping open at the spot. Letters and words began to appear on the pages as if being written right now, the previous written communication faded completely. Chat leaned in with Marinette next to him, reading along as paragraphs revealed themselves.

"The Gods are alive.

They wanted to stay in this world without influencing their descendants with the celestial magick they possessed. They live within the artifacts themselves, watching over their children and helping if necessary with their descendants' powers. This is my last entry, only to be viewed by those of Lady Luck's and Lord of Death's descendents who have accepted their fate.

The Butterfly has been stolen, and The Soul is broken. Watch for one who bares either one of these, for they are dangerous and are unaware of what these artifacts are-

Be careful, child of the Ladybug and child of the Black Cat. Find your Gods' respectable miraculous artifact."

The entry began to fade quickly in a matter of minutes, reducing the book to its former self.

There laid the simple journal upon the Princess's bed, with the previous incarnations and words appearing again.

Chat tried to processed the words, tried to processed what exactly was just revealed to him. The Ring of Plagg...is ...the God Plagg? Or at least, has him in it?! Oh, Gods...

Then Chat Noir released something very, very important..

The words called out to the child of the Lord of Death and the child of the Black Cat...which was…

"Adrien…?" Marinette muttered softly, blinking in an effort to gather her thoughts. She stared at Chat across from her, and he noticed tears start to form at the corner of her eyes.

"Marinette, I can explain-"

"CHAT NOIR, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!"

The couple jumped off the bed in a rush, as a loud bang echoed throughout the room from Marinette's door.

"WE ARE ENTERING BY FORCE PRINCESS!"

Marinette stood in front of Chat in defense as a foot slammed her bedroom door open, revealing two large guards barging inside with swords at the ready. King Gabriel and Princess Chole was behind them, with Gabriel holding a nasty, devilish grin and Chloe keeping her head low and hidden.

"You are not going to take him!" Marinette screamed, as the knights pushed her aside with forcible will. She fell onto the bed, luckily on top of the book, as the guards grabbed both sides of Chat's arms. Adrien hated how familiar this was now, but this time, he struggled instead of going easy. A fist met him in the stomach however, the force hard and blunt causing him to bend over and begin coughing. And then a hit to the back of the head caused the Prince-Thief to go limp in their grasp, unconscious.

"Leave him alone!" another scream from the Princess, as she tugged at one of the guard's arm.

"I'm sorry, Princess," the guard said, trying to push her away softly this time. They together lead the thief out of the room and towards the dungeons. Marinette stood at her doorway to watch Chat….Adrien.. Be lead away again and her not being able to do anything about it. This time, she gazed over at ...Hawkmoth… wanting to tell him exactly what he just did. But he spoke before she was able to shout.

"Goodnight Princess Marinette. You have nothing to fear now," King Gabriel said with secret venom. He placed a hand upon Princess Chloe's shoulder, leading the two of them out of sight. Chloe refused to look up, but Marinette swore she saw a lone tear fall from her rival.

Anger swelled inside the future Queen as she watched them both leave. Of course Chloe had something to with this… Marinette formulated a plan within her mind quickly, turning back inside her room and making sure to place the journal back inside her personal puzzle box. From what she just learned, there was only one thing that could possibly save this situation.

She had to steal the Ring of Plagg.


	12. A New Resolve

Chapter Twelve

-A new resolve-

Dawn broke across the land of Creaturae, shining bright news upon the world. Chat Noir was arrested! Locked away in the dungeons of the palace awaiting a trial that will surely result in an execution.

How word spread so fast, Princess Marinette did not know. Most likely Chloe was to blame once again, but it could have been other King Gabriel spies. The whole castle was buzzing about it, every servant, maid, butler, and even knight guard was whispering. Some were saying he was caught with the Princess, others were remarking how he was found in the treasure room. It was only a matter of time before word got to her mother and father, but Marinette needed Alya first.

The morning brought on a new side to the Princess, and she had her plan recited in her head over and over. With chin held high and determination pulsing through her veins, she strided towards Alya's room. Juleka was just exiting as Marinette approached, with a small trolley in front of her and gave a quick bow towards the Princess.

"Good Morning, Your Majesty. Lady Alya is eating breakfast within her room today," Juleka remarked, re-adjusting her grip on the cart that carried a now empty food tray. "Have you heard the wonderful news of Chat Noir?!"

"Thank you, Juleka," Marinette stated without addressing the question, opening the door to Alya's room and walking inside. Juleka parted with a puzzled look, trotting off with a clicking wheel.

Alya was nibbling on a piece of bread with a fried egg attached, gazing down at 'The Creaturae Gazette.' The newspaper flashed a artist drawing of Chat Noir, adding fangs and claws to his form. It had a big "CAPTURED" written across it. Marinette's nose curled at the sight. This also meant the newspaper knew ahead of time this would happen and already had it ready to go the next day… Sickening and diabolical of King Gabriel to assume that he was going to catch Chat so soon...

Hearing the door shut behind Marinette, Alya looked up with unmatched excitement.

"Did you see the news?! Chat Noir is awaiting execution! The news states he was caught while trying to sneak around the palace!" Alya laughed and took a sip of coffee, "And here I thought he was too sneaky to be caught!"

The knotted form of Marinette's guts that kept her up most of the night tighten harder at Alya's words, but she sighed heavy and sat across her friend on the bed.

"I have to tell you something," Marinette quickly blurted, the intense and lighting memories of last night danced across her mind. But the Princess was able to spill the words out so easily, detailing almost everything that happened in the past 12 hours.

Alya's face shifted as the truth came to light in front of her, her eyes exploding with a cross mix of worry and disbelief. Although, Marinette's next sentence took it to a whole other level.

"And that's why I need your help to steal the ring."

"Woah, woah, hold on," Alya commanded, placing her hands up and blinking a few times to establish her reality. "Prince Adrien is Chat Noir, Chat Noir is currently locked in the dungeon, so thus..Prince Adrien is in the dungeon?... Again?!"

With a huff, Marinette replied, " Yes, yes. Please keep up. Did you even hear me when I said the Gods are within the artifacts?"

Alya tried to recompose herself, pinching her nose in an effort to elevate the headache that was trying to form.

"I heard you on that, and on the fact that a book told you and Adrien all of this because…" Alya looked at her friend again, "What did you guys do again to make the book show these words?"

A flush of red coated Marinette's face, causing her to avoid Alya's gaze as she whispered, "We..uh..may have... K-kissed?"

Alya stared blankly at her charge, processing it all fully now. An excited smile escaped her, as she grabbed Marinette in a hug. "I am so proud of you, girl. Even if you thought you were kissing Chat and not Adrien." Alya pushed away before Marinette could say anything else in response.

"Looks like we have a prince to save, right? What is your plan?"

Marinette shook herself of the past, felt a swarm of righteousness, and began with,

"First, let's talk to my parents, then we should visit Lord Nino."

This time, Adrien's cell didn't have a window.

The dark, smelly underground was only illuminated by candles lit in the main hallway, causing shadows to seemingly dance across the floors like demons. Still as Chat Noir, as the guards only took his backpack and not his clothes, Adrien pulled his gloves off slowly. He had stayed still and silent for most of the night, but now it was time to try and plan an escape. The large guard stationed in front of Chat's prison let out a nice loud snore, giving the thief this opportunity.

Closing his eyes, the Prince of Death reached deep inside himself to the very black mist that always threatened to come out. It excitedly obeyed, the bubbly power flaking across Chat's hands. Now, does he destroy the iron bars, or the wall to the outside itself? Examining his surroundings one more time, Chat noticed a small beam of early morning sunlight peeking out of the back bottom corner of the cobblestone jail. Reaching down with just one finger, Chat pushed the destruction out slowly. It was absorbed by the area surrounding the hole, causing more and more light to reach in as dust fell where stone was. It would take a while for a big enough hole to happen at this rate, Adrien calculated, as he was about to bring the rest of the magick to the area.

"Can't you wait until you say goodbye to your old friend before leaving?"

Chat spun around, knocking off the magick from his hand. Chloe greeted him with a wave and a press to her lips, the guard to the cell still sleeping very loudly next to her. She gave a sideways glance at the man, rolling her eyes in disgust. But when she turned back to Adrien, her gaze was soft.

"How dare you come down here," Chat began with a whisper, not moving from his spot in front of his escape hole. Rage and betrayal was laced in his voice. "I don't ever want to see you again after what you have done."

Chloe brought her clenched fist up to her chest, pressing on herself tightly in an effort to hold back her emotions. She was wearing a riding cloak that was the colors of her House Crest. It almost made her look like a bumblebee in the candlelight.

"I didn't come here asking for your forgiveness, but I wanted to tell you why I did the things I did," the blonde Princess began, her voice raspy, "Hawkmoth threatened my father and mother, saying that if I didn't do what he asked of me, that he was going to kill them. I had to watch over Marinette and try to keep you two apart. But I realized that your father didn't realize you were Chat Noir."

Chloe lowered her head in shame, "I knew you were with her last night because I waited under her balcony for you to arrive. I couldn't bare to tell your father who you were though, because I felt like some part of me knew that was wrong. So he doesn't know, but you should be aware that he wants to make Chat the scapegoat for everything he is trying to do."

Adrien felt a tug at all of the favors and the instances were Chloe was so kind to him, especially her being the only friend, besides Nino, that he ever had. She didn't get a lot of attention from her mother, Queen Audrey, who was always preoccupied with matters of Apis. Despite his anger towards her, Adrien pitied his friend.

Chloe sighed deeply, looking at Chat once again, "When you get out, find a shaved ice vendor in Creaturae named Andre. Tell him you are on the run from Hawkmoth and he will help you."

Before Adrien could question further, Chloe reached over and shook the guard awake with a loud demand, "Knight, wake up and fetch me some water!"

Quickly realizing what she did for him, Chat turned around, summoning his energy. He heard the knight jostle awake, and race up to the stairs fetch the princess some water. Now alone with Chloe, Chat placed his hand all the way inside the larger hole, causing destruction to pour through the area. In an instant, the stone wall that lead to the outside completely turned to dust, but the roof of the cell couldn't stand without the support as it began to crumble around Adrien.

With one last look at a waving Chloe, Chat Noir escaped into the morning as his prison collapsed behind him.

-Author's Notes: Thank you to all who read, review, and give love to this story. In the passed few months, my life became very trivial. Depression and anxiety are no jokes, especially if you are an artist of some sort. This chapter was started some time ago and never finished, mostly because I felt so unattached from this story. Today, I sat down and wrote out the part I wanted to tell, and I greatly apologize that it is shorter than usual. This chapter is truly symbolic to myself and any others who are trying to escape the prison of their thoughts.


	13. Most-Wanted Criminal in the 7 Kingdoms

Chapter Thirteen

 **-The Most Wanted Criminal in The Seven Kingdoms-**

Lady Alya was still somewhat confused as she followed her charge through the hallways of the palace to reach the outside gardens. While getting ready for the day, Marinette didn't go into all the details just yet of what she had in mind, but Alya truly wondered what Lord Nino had to do with it. Alya's heart fluttered a bit at the thought of working with the Knight, but she shook it off quickly. He was very kind to her, yes, but her duty was to the future Queen of Creaturae. Silly crushes were not acceptable.

' _Speaking of silly crushes though_ ', Alya thought as she shifted her eyes to look over at Marinette. This girl went around kissing thieves, for goodness sake. Alya made another mental note to discuss weighing the responsibility of being a Queen over the actions of one's genitals with her charge later.

Alya had almost forgotten what beauty the gardens had so early in the day. Birds chirped happily, and with a slight frost in the wind, the leaves were turning that golden rich red. The small guest house was all aglow with the morning sun as the two girls approached, and Alya thought she heard the soft harmony of a violin drifting from the wood panel door as Marinette knocked hard. The music stopped short, and within a few seconds Nino opened the door with a narrowed face and a scrunched nose.

"Do you realize what time this-" Nino's eyes exploded at the girls' presence- "OH! Princess Marinette and Lady Alya! What a surprise!" The Knight parted from the door, letting them entered the cosy warm living space. Alya noted the violin resting in what she assumed was Nino's chair, and that the Knight still grasped his bow within his hands.

"I hope you aren't here for Prince Adrien; he is out and about this morning," Nino's lie came swiftly, much to Alya's dislike. He obviously is covering for his charge, but letting him go out and risk his life every other night? Alya shook her head in disapproval, gazing at the Princess once more to see what her next move was. Marinette's face was set, the passion- Alya realized- that radiated from her was unmatched.

"I know, Lord Nino. About Adrien. He is in trouble, and if we don't do something fast, he will die."

The tone of her voice was firm and absolute, Marinette's resolve was unmistakable.

What happened to her sweet Queen-to-be? Alya wondered, seeing this girl take charge with her commanding posture. But deep within, this lady-in-waiting was proud of the Princess. It seems she finally had a reason to unlock what was always there.

The only sound in the room was Nino's bow hitting the floor with a loud ka-thunk. His shock and worry were rattled across his face.

"Where is he? How did this happen?!"

"I can not go into details right now, but I am here to ask you for your help in not only rescuing him, but obtaining the object he was looking for."

Marinette also mouthed the words, 'The butterflies' at Nino, trying to explain without explaining.

Nino's eyes darted across the room, as if he could sense the tiny devilish creatures. With a nod in response, Nino said, "Very well. I will help you. But first, I need to know if he is safe."

"He is," Marinette kept her voice even, a smile forming on her lips.

"Good," a heavy breathed sigh released from the Knight, as if he was holding his breath for too long. He recovered quickly, adding, "What's the next step?" He looked ready to take on the world for Prince Adrien.

Alya crossed her arms over her chest, smirking at the readiness of the man before her. He wasn't so bad after all, she concluded. Her mind wandered a bit as she let her gaze drift over him seeing his muscular arms and tone body as if for the first time. Hiding her face with her hair, Alya coughed in an attempt to wake herself from this daydream. Which of course, caused the both of them to look over at her.

"Alya, are you alright? You look flushed," Nino asked, his concern a touching blow towards the Lady's already blossoming feelings.

"OH-" Marinette joined in, giggling at her best friend. "I think she is just excited to get started, aren't you?"

A sharp powerful looked darted from Alya to Marinette, which resulted in another fit of giggles from the Princess. Alya waved her hands in front of her face, in both an effort to lower her temperature and to shoo them both away.

"I'm fine, really. Let's do this."

Marinette nodded, clenching her fist at the ready. "Next stop, my parents. They should have heard the news by now."

* * *

"HE...WHAT?!"

When Lord Nino entered the conference room with Alya and the Princess, he was not expecting King Tom to have a very angry flustered face towards Max. The King's yell was reverberated throughout the whole palace, a mighty feat indeed. Queen Sabine was also there, her face covered by both of her hands in a posture of anguish.

Nino's gut sank to the floor as he feared the worse for his best friend.

"Max," King Tom's voice was still raised, but more direct and softened, "I see my kingdom's newspaper this morning remarking we have caught the thief Chat Noir, to which you confirmed. But now-" The King of Creatruae slammed his fist down onto the table, "HE ESCAPED?!"

Nino felt a surge of hope flow through his body, and he heard a gasp come from the Princess. Her sound caused the King to turn to them, as well as the Queen to lower her hands.

"Marinette!"

Queen Sabine stood up with a jolt, rushing over to her daughter. She grabbed her by the shoulders, giving her daughter a once over as if checking for anything out of place.

"There were so many rumors! Did he touch you anywhere? Hurt you?! We were told you went with Alya this morning but…"

"Mama-mother..please, I'm fine," Marinette corrected herself, but tried to reassure her worried parent, "Chat didn't do anything to me."

King Tom rose from his seat as well, his temper dwindled a bit. "We just heard the news he escaped. According to the report, he still had a small explosive on him. He blew up the outside wall of the dungeon, collapsing the cell and almost killing Princess Chloe."

 _Wait..What.._

"What was Chloe doing down there?!" Marinette questioned abruptly, her face twisted.

"Trying to talk some sense into him, that's what."

Princess Chloe walked through the door, her own handmaid from Apis, Sabrina, trailing behind her with a silver tray of chocolate covered strawberries grasped tightly in the small maid's hand. Chloe picked one up, took a bite, swallowed, and spoke again, "When he didn't cover our end of the deal in Apis, I was hoping to convince him to actually follow through with it here." She placed the back of her hand against her forehead in an overly dramatic way, "But alas, the thief broke free of his confinds and leaped into the shadows of the new day."

Nino carefully observed the Princess of Apis, as she tried to convince everyone else. Even though now it was only the King and Queen who didn't know the truth. A side smirk reached its way to the knight's lips, truly wanting to see how far this Princess was willing to take her little charade.

But Marinette was not having it.

She stormed right up to her nemesis, drew her fist back, and punched the girl square in the face.

With that, the future Queen of Creaturae held her ground as Chloe handled her bloody nose in agonizing pain, her screams muffled through her fingers.

"Marinette Vita Dupain-Cheng! What has gotten into you?!" Queen Sabine shouted, grabbing her daughter's arm and pulling her away from Chloe. The Queen brought her hands forward towards the bleeding Princess, as they were already aglow with pink healing. Chloe let the magick onto her face, the blood from her nose pouring down onto the floor. Sabrina took out a handkerchief from her uniform, wiping the blood up. Chloe took a step back once Queen Sabine's magick ran its course, blinking a few times with crossed eyes as to make sure her nose was still on her face.

Chloe's furious eyes then landed on Marinette, the rage fueling her. A devilish grin danced across the Apisian Princess, and her words echoed in the room with a vibrating yellowish aura from her mouth.

"I saw you slap yourself hard in the face this morning."

Marinette felt it- the urge to lift up her hand to her face- before she could react. Her hand was covered in yellow and black light, moving all on its own. A massive slap across her cheek from her own hand caused Marinette to gasp loudly and cry out in pain. Chloe, that-that...cheater! Marinette's fists balled up, and she stomped forward to throw another punch.

This time, Nino intervened.

"Enough!"

He darted between the feuding royals before they could reach each other, extending his arms to create his shield to hold the princesses at bay. Marinette dropped her fists, Chloe crossed her arms in a huff, and Alya sighed as she pinched her nose.

"I suggest you both start acting like the Queens you are going to be one day, otherwise we are never going to catch this thief," Nino commanded, letting his magick drop from his hands once he felt the royals were calmed down. King Tom came up beside his wife, wrapping his arm around her petite shoulders.

"Thank you, Lord Nino," he said with a deep exhale of air, "I am going to have the Senators put out wanted posters all over Creaturae, as well as let the other kingdoms be on the lookout. A large bounty will be placed on that thief's head, too. Chat Noir will be the most wanted criminal in all of the Seven Kingdoms"

Nino clenched his jaw to bite back an instinctive response. _Great, just perfect_. He sent a silent prayer to his family's God, Wayzz, to look after the poor boy.

Queen Sabine touched her husband's hand in comfort, looking up at him with concern, "I'll come with you, dear." The Queen then turned to her daughter with disapproving eyes, "We will discuss your little outburst later, young lady. For now, why don't you find Prince Adrien and discuss the wedding details with him? Max has prepared a lovely arrangement of selected cheeses he wants you two to try."

Nino's heart raced, turning to the Princess. He knew the girl was quick witted, but how was she going to explain this predicament?

"Mother, Adrien isn't feeling well right now. That's what we were coming in here to tell you. Nino came to us this morning to let us know. Adrien will be staying inside for the next few days."

Good cover, Nino thought to himself, but he was surprised to find that Queen Sabine just laughed it off.

"Oh nonsense dear! Just heal him right up and I'll have Max come to the guest house later to meet up with the two of you!"

Trying to keep up the illusion, Nino responded quickly, "Unfortunately, Your Grace, this illness is special to Mortem royalty. Only a few days rest and plenty of fluids helps!"

Alya came up beside him, nodding in agreement, "I researched it myself as well. Seems Prince Adrien gets backlash from using his powers too much."

Queen Sabine covered her mouth in shock, "Oh dear. Well, please take good care of him Marinette. We are going into town now to issue this bounty and warrant."

When the King and Queen left, Nino turned to Chloe with a hardened look. "We all know the truth, by the way, _Your Highness,"_ the honorific laced with distortion, "so drop the act and tell us where he went."

Chloe widened her eyes as gazed over at Marinette and Alya. They nodded in confirmation. A few, real and true teardrops fell from the eyes of the Princess of Apis as she whispered to them, "He is going to the Resistance."

 _Author's Note: Wow! I am so happy and so thrilled to give this story some new life. Special and amazing thanks to_ _PawdreyHepburn on Ao3 for becoming my beta reader! She has been a big inspiration and really helped jump start this process. Thank you! And thank you to everyone else who continues to read and review. You guys are one in a million!_


	14. Entering the Resistance

Chapter Fourteen

-Entering the Resistance-

Being Chat Noir for this long was not what Prince Adrien had planned after his escape.

For what seemed like hours, he used the casting shadows of the forest that led towards the back side of Lower Creatruae for an escape route. Each tree offering its own form of protection like they knew what he was running from.

What _exactly_ was he running from?

Was it the threat of death? The fact Marinette now knew who he was under the mask and that she might hate him for it? Or was it just running to run? Flee from the torment and confines of all of his obligations, and make a new name for himself.

The smell of food alerted his stomach, a gargled rumble from Chat's lower half startling him.

 _Well, that's not really surprising considering I haven't ate for almost 8 hours…_

 _Oh shit_... _Has it really been that long?!_

Popping his head out of the forest line to look beyond the canopy, he realized that, indeed, the sun was a little past the halfway mark now. He also found himself near the poor district of Lower Creaturae, with mud caked, small, tightly packed apartments and hundreds of laundry hanging from shared drying lines across the main streetway.

Clinging to the casted darkness of the homes, he followed his nose to the corner of an alleyway. He found himself eyeing a pastry vendor's cart, full of puffed croissants, breads, and various sweets. Another deep inhale made his mouth water, and Chat lowered to a crouching position to consider his next move. He could bet on the fact that no one here in Lower Creaturae could have seen Prince Adrien's face, but that might be too risky. Maybe darting between buildings and snatching a piece of food when the vendor wasn't looking would work?

 _No_ , Adrien contemplated, _I only want to steal the ring and not steal from these people_.

But he had no money, and he was getting dizzy from hunger. Taking the plunge, he removed his mask and pulled his hood around his face more. He even tied up his magical tail-belt so it wouldn't hang low and get caught. As he stepped into the sun, the heat attacked him.

 _Oh right_ … _I am wearing all black aren't I?_

The stares of the various busy townsfolk confirmed this. Many mothers averted their children's gaze from him, some older gentleman straightened their backs and their forms to give him death glares. Never in his life did Prince Adrien feel so scared and so very much alone at the same time.

His hood was half in his vision when he came up to the food vendor, who he found out was a older humped back man who had a receding silver hair line and a brightly flower printed tunic on. The cart was obviously a traveling one, and Chat happened to notice the humming wind chimes that somehow gave him a nostalgic feeling.

All the rows of perfectly placed pastries caused Chat's eyes to blossom, and his stomach to once again repeat its previous demand. The cart merchant flashed a wide brimmed smile, his wrinkles bending his face.

"Hello there, what can I get for you?"

The older man's voice was kind, and he seemed to not have any form of hostility towards the hungry alleycat.

Lifting his head up more to connect his gaze with the vendor's, Adrien whispered, "I-I'm sorry, but I-I have no money."

The vendor didn't flinch once, keeping his smile, "Oh I know, sir. But here-" He grabbed a steaming puffed dumpling with a napkin, and handed it over to Chat, "-this is on the house."

With a doe-eyed expression, Adrien grabbed the offering with trembling hands.

"Thank you, but-" his hood retreated back a bit causing a blonde strain of loose hair to fall in his face, "-why?"

The older man closed his eyes in a whole mouth laughed and winked, placing his arms behind him in a wise posture.

"Come with me, Chat Noir," the man replied in a whisper, his words causing Adrien's stomach to drop. Without hearing a reply, the man turned his back and began to walk into the open door of a apartment building that was nearby. Taking a bite of his free meal, Adrien didn't hesitate to follow him.

The dumpling was gone by the time the two reached the top of the stairs of the lobby. They went all the way to the last set of doors, and the old man approached the farthest one.

He knocked three times, then again four times. Adrien figured it was some sort of code, because as soon as the man pulled his knuckles away from the doorframe, the latch of the knob clicked open. A man with a rather large nose and rosy cheeks, peered his head from the edge of the slightly opened door.

"Password?" The man asked, scrutinizing the two of them with his eyes.

"Miraculous" Chat's guide said nonchalantly.

"Enter," the reply came swiftly, as the door creaked open further.

They made their way into a crowded room, full of various sized people and even a few kids. Many were dirty, with mud caked faces and torn tattered clothing. The smell of sweat and body odor curled Adrien's nose, but luckily there was an open window with a tight knitted black fishing net covering it. _Pests unwelcome_ , Adrien concluded, tugging on his suit to let in some cooling air.

All eyes turned to the new comers, and some even let out gasps. The one who opened the door to let them inside didn't let them approach any further into the room, lifting his arm up to divide them. Adrien wasn't sure if it was to protect him from the people or to protect the people from him.

"Andre, what is going on?!" one middle age man spoke up, protectively standing in front of his family. "Isn't that Chat Noir? Why is Monsurier Cheng with him?"

"You'll cause them to find us," someone else said, and others mumbled amongst themselves in agreement.

In a nervous gesture, Adrien rubbed the back of his neck under his hood. His thoughts raced madly, _I am a monster to these people. But... I don't want to be anymore._

As the Prince of Death, he was used to others looking at him begrudgingly, but this…This was as if he was Death itself. Making the call, he dropped his hood completely releasing his blonde hair from its confines.

Half of the room let out massive exhales at this new revelation. The color of his hair was undeniable to his identity, especially with how clean and shiny it was compared to the rest of them.

Adrien found his voice, letting it take him far, "I am Prince Adrien of Mortem as well as Chat Noir."

The room was silent, a clock on the wall the only noise that held within the walls. Adrien kept his head held high, letting the continuous thumping of his heart in his ears drown out the complete silence. It wasn't until the larger man they called Andre turned to the front of the Prince, and took his hand in a massive friendly shake.

"Welcome, welcome! The fiancé of the Princess is always welcome here."

Andre's courage loosened the posture of the others, some even let out heavy sighs as if they were holding their breath. Adrien swallowed, licking his dry lips to explain further.

"I was actually told to find you, Monsieur Andre," the Prince began, "Princess Chloe assisted me to escape and told me to seek you out. Who are all of you?"

Behind Andre, two teenagers exchanged some money with one of them letting out a deep throat groan.

Andre's face light up brightly, and he guided Adrien over to a nearby empty pillow on the floor. The Prince was sat - _pushed_ \- down, and Andre began to explain.

"We are the Resistance," he gestured to the crowd of people, and while many smiled to greet Adrien's gaze, some avoided him entirely, whether from uneasiness or untrustworthiness.

"Princess Chloe was the one who brought the first of us together about a year ago. She found Scarlet and Jean Pierre there, along with Monsieur Cheng, trying to stop some goons of Hawkmoth from keeping food from the people of Lower Apis."

Adrien couldn't believe it; the Resistance of the Seven Kingdoms was right here. His father, - no, Hawkmoth - caused so much pain and sorrow for these people; it was written all over their faces. Many Mortem meetings Adrien had to accompany detailed the usurpes that these people caused Hawkmoth, though, the naivety and uncaring that the young Prince held at the time truly guilted him now.

Andre let out a hearty laugh as he began to dance around them all, and sang in a simple melody:

Away from the Hawk

We run we run

Crown the Queen before before its' done

We save those who can't be saved

Until the day, Until the day, Until the Daayyy

Lady Luck finds a way

Others joined in with him, with clapping and patting on their legs to the beat, finishing the lines up completely. The melody lifted their spirits, the code they lived by giving hope back into their eyes.

Mister Cheng came closer, his arms almost never leaving behind his back. "Our number one goal is to get Princess Marinette to the throne. Princess Chloe helps fund us in secret, and we try to sabotage many things Hawkmoth has tried to do to the various kingdoms."

Prince Adrien scanned the room again with all the information trying to process. The faces of families; single mothers and fathers, grandparents, and even children with no homes, became permanently ingrained in his mind.

 _They are doing all of this for her,_ The Prince pondered, _For Marinette, for her to become Queen, for this haunting terror of Hawkmoth to end._

The Princess's words from the first time she met him as Chat echoed in his mind for some reason.

 _No one deserves to be in pain…_

He asked, truly wanting to know more of their goal, "Why is all of this for Princess Marinette?"

A small child, around four- or five-years-old, let go of her mother's hand and approached Adrien. She placed her hand on the Prince's shoulder and said, "The Princess is so kind to all of us. She makes sure we can eat."

The mother of the child crawled to sit beside her daughter, taking the tiny child into her arms to cuddle, "Princess Marinette has even built homes for us, and made the Senators lower taxes."

A flash of the moment when Marinette healed Chat Noir's foot cascaded through the mind of the Prince. _I noticed her smile first, that beautiful look she gave me. And then her kindness, something I was so blown away by._

Andre chimed in, approaching the Prince with shaking hands and with sorrowful eyes, "Hawkmoth sent out a mist of death into my small village outside of the capital of Testudo. My family became refugees, but my daughter continued to be sick from the plague."

He pulled out an artist's drawing of him and his family, which showed a cute, chubby little girl standing between him and his wife. "Princess Marinette learned of my daughter's sickness and came to our home herself. She healed my daughter, and I sworn from that day on that I would do anything I could to help the Princess."

Another memory danced through Adrien's mind, this time when Marinette was with him at the gardens after their crazy family breakfast.

 _That accident at breakfast was the best excuse to talk to her personally, and when I handed her that rotten rose, I was so afraid she would walk away from me right then and there._

" _I covered you, I mean- I got you covered," she stated with brightness._ _My heart soared at her words, as I watched the rose spring back to life in her hands._

Andre put away his family portrait and smiled wholeheartedly at the Prince, "Word spread fast how you defended the Princess at the Council meeting. Some of us were there, you know? You stood up for her like you two were already married."

 _Already married_...

Prince Adrien stared down at his hands, the destruction that usually threatened to reveal itself was seemingly waiting for an answer of its own. All the things the Princess has done, for these people and himself, made dealing with this power of death and decay small in comparison.

 _Was the Ring of Plagg so important now?_

What was more important, what truly captivated his thoughts, was Marinette's need to ascend to the throne. She was so good to Creaturae, and not just her people, but all the people who come to this land from others. No matter the kingdom, no matter the way the people looked or acted, she still showed them undeniable amounts of kindness.

When she kissed him in what seemed like weeks ago, Prince Adrien felt so connected with her at that moment. It was so wonderful, so calming, so thrilling. If he thought about it hard enough, he could still feel her lips on his.

It was then, in front of all of those people, that the world suddenly seemed so colorful to Prince Adrien. A new energy surged through him, though it was not magic. He stood up in front of all of them, full of determination.

"I vow, on the legacy of my mother, that I will do whatever it takes to get Princess Marinette on the throne. Even if she doesn't end up marrying me to do it."

Monsieur Cheng, with a knowing smile, placed a hand upon the Prince's shoulder, "You love her, my boy. You being beside her will help. You don't have to vow anything to us."

When he heard those words, when the concept became reality, Adrien knew the old man was right from the very depths of his soul.

 _I am in love with Princess Marinette Dupain-Cheng._


	15. The March Begins

**Author's Note: Thank you all for being so patient and understanding. I apologize for this story taking a bit of a backseat in my life lately. I am glad I can pick it back up again, and we are coming to the finish line of it! It should be done in about 3 or 4 more chapters! This chapter is mostly getting ready for the climax, and honestly, the direction I am taking the story, it might be a bit of a ...interesting turn... but hey, it will get finished damnit lol**

 **Thank you to my beta reader, and to all of you again. Please enjoy~**

Nighttime fell across Creaturae palace, the air especially chill and rigid. The loud noises of the dying cicadas echoed the night, and fireflies were dancing about in blissful ignorance, as if they were unaware their time was drawing to a close.

Princess Marinette, her heart thumping in her ears in a steady drowning beat, followed close behind Lady Alya with the moon their only guiding light. They made their way towards the Cheng family vault, which was on the back side of the palace, tucked away like an ominous crypt. A range of large hedges led the path for many to follow if they dared. However, it was easy to get lost in this seemingly endless maze.

Together, the two women were cloaked in an illusion, their camouflage of magic keeping them well hidden. Tonight, they were going to steal the Ring of Plagg and go in search of Adrien. Tonight, Hawkmoth's terror will be one step closer to ending.

After Princess Chloe explained a bit about the Resistance to them this afternoon, the urgency was heightened to find Adrien as soon as possible. Marinette's thoughts were still shifting constantly now, flashing back and forth to the past and the possible future that is to come. She has been so naive up to this point, unaware of the rampage Hawkmoth has had over the whole world. And then there was Chat Noir, or rather, Prince Adrien. Living a double life like his father, but for the opposite reasons. The connection was strange and timely, but Marinette understood that she had to push aside suspicion to get to the exact truth. About Hawkmoth, Adrien, and of course, the miraculous artifacts of the Gods.

The Princess straightened her dark rich red and black mask that rested across her face, donning this form to not only escape with ease, but to hide her identity should they run into anyone. Like her cat-like counterpart, she kept it simple but with darker hues of her house colors. She pictured her mother giving her a rightful scold and her father shaking his head in disappointment, but they would all laugh about it after. Oh, but her mother and father have been lying about things as well, Marinette contemplated.

 _No more_ , she thought with a hardened face, _No more secrets in my kingdom_.

A light flickered from a corner they were approaching, jumping Marinette's heart even farther into her ears. They pressed in haste against a moss covered stone pillar that helped mark the path and drew in their breath, praying for the magick to hold on just a bit longer. A guard, with a small lanturn, casually walked passed them and onto his duties without a second glance. Once the light faded from view, they continued onwards in stealth eyeing the entrance to the vault and a familiar face guarding the way.

Lord Nino was awaiting them, having volunteered himself earlier as a night-guard for this area. Since Prince Adrien was still 'sick', Nino explained that he wanted to do something in order to get out of the house while Adrien was recovering. And it just so happened that the guard who usually covered this area had to 'unexpectedly' visit his 'ill' grandmother in Apis, a ruse devised by Chloe no less. It was the perfect set up.

Nino heard Marinette accidentally snap a twig under her feet as the girls approached, resulting in him raising his crossbow in defense.

"It's us," Alya whispered, causing Nino to lower his weapon.

Nino let out a sigh of relief, "Damn, I thought you were a ghost or something. I keep thinking I hear voices from inside the ghastly place behind me."

Alya let out a soft giggle and winked at the knight as she revealed herself and Marinette with a slick flick of the wrist.

"Well, don't worry. I promise no ghosts will haunt you while I'm around."

Nino smiled brightly in response to the flirty behavior. He then turned to look at the Princess and took note of her choice of attire. With a raised eyebrow and cheeky smirk he sassed, "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, you know?"

Marinette chose not to respond, letting her eyes do the talking. Lord Nino raised his hands up in defense and just softly chuckled, letting Marinette walk past him and towards the door of the vault.

It was only once before, many years ago, that Marinette stood in front of this door with her Mother by her side. Even now, the massive cobblestone entrance seemed just as intimidating with gargoyles of unknown origins guarding each side.

" _Our ancestors are within these walls,"_ Queen Sabine told her young daughter, " _They will always be there to guide you when you need them the most."_

 _She remembered watching her mother carefully open the guarded gateway, the large stone slab seemingly impossible to open unless you knew what you were doing._

 _Ancestors, past Queens of Creaturae, guide me now as I try to save the world,_ Marinette prayed, feeling a tingle within her chest as her magickal powers responded to the blessing.

As Marinette drew courage, she lifted her hand full of pinkish hue magick onto the middle of the stone entrance. Once her hand touched the cold exterior, a pad under her skin glowed in response. A click was heard, followed by a light of red and black cutting the stoneway into two. Each piece opened towards them in a grand way, allowing passage.

It didn't take long for the vault to be exposed to them, with the three royals stepping inside to gaze at all the golden beauties and fortunes that rested here. Stacks of gold, piles of jewels; it was a truly awestruck sight to behold. But none of those materials mattered, for upon shelves full of old, dusty books towards the back of the room rested two tiny black jewelry boxes. If a stranger came upon this place, they would have never thought that these seemingly out-of-place old containers were even treasure.

Princess Marinette, with pull deep within her soul, stopped in front of this bookcase. Her mother only ever touched one of these containtors, the other one having an inch of dust coated all over it. There was no mistaking what was inside of it now, as the Princess reached to grab both at the same time. She turned to look at her companions, who gazed with wonder at the sights before them.

"This is it," she stated in command, "Let's go."

When all three of them made their way to the door however, there stood Queen Sabine in her nightgown and hands in a prayerful position.

"Mother!" Marinette exclaimed, letting her hands drop to hide the black packages within.

Alya and Nino bowed deeply, not letting their treacous faces gaze at the wholesome Queen. Neither could find the right words to say.

Queen Sabine gaze was unreadable, as if trying to decide which emotion to pursue, with the door to the vault closing behind her.

"I can explain," the Princess began before her mother stepped closer, "See, I wanted to make sure the earrings were still here and-"

"Marinette, stop. I know why you are here."

Soft tears began to form in the corner of the Queen's eyes, her hands relaxed as she came between Alya and Nino. Both of them looked up, shocked and worried.

Sabine looked tired, exhausted even, like sleep has been alluding her for days now. Marinette memory was filled with times when her mother was cheerful or radiant, but gazing upon her now made her heart ache from the sorrow and fearfulness that dripped from the aura of the Queen.

"Hawkmoth will be attacking the palace tomorrow," the Queen stated, causing expressed gasps to radiate throughout, "Our spies within Mortem told us just as the sun was setting today. King Gabriel left the palace yesterday, claiming he wasn't feeling well and needed to return home, but we knew that wasn't the case."

Queen Sabine now stood directly in front of her daughter, placing both hands upon the young Princess's shoulders.

"I know Adrien isn't here in Creaturae, too. And, my sweet daughter, there are many things I have kept from you all these years in order to protect you. But, now is not the time, nor is this the right place, to tell you the truth. You must leave, find Adrien, and together come back to stop Hawkmoth for good."

Marinette hung on every word her mother spoke, fearing for the future, worried from the mistakes of the past, and feeling the weight of the Queen's hands on her shoulders press down more and more. She felt like a small child again.

"Mama, I-I.."

Marinette's voice was struggling to take shape, with her chest knotting tightly. Tears threatened themselves, the worry of her parent's safety a hammering thought that was clearly visible on the young lady's face.

"It's alright, my daughter," Queen Sabine gently wiped away a single tear from her daughter's cheek, "Your father and I will be perfectly fine, but you and Prince Adrien are the only hope of our kingdoms seeing tomorrow." The older woman grabbed the Princess's hands to lift them to view, unfolding her fingers to expose the knowing parcels.

"This is your destiny, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Yours and Prince Adrien's. Open these together, and do not be afraid. The others will follow the God of Death and the Goddess of Life to the surface."

"O-Others?" Marinette asked through a cracked voice, but her mother shook her head.

"There is no time. You will see."

The Queen walked passed her daughter to the bookcase, grabbing a large volume of a book and pulling it back. In an instant, the bookcase shifted to the side and revealed an underground passage. Torches made from blue flames began to light one by one down the stairs, showing an exit.

"Go, all of you. And may Lady Luck follow you, always."

Nino, Alya, and Marinette shared concern and knowing gazes. While this wasn't exactly what they had planned, it was the best ticket out now.

Princess Marinette reached for her sacachel and shoved the Earrings of Tikki and the Ring of Plagg inside. Tightening the strings to the limit, Marinette carefully slung the pack over her shoulder and nodded. She will do this; for her kingdom, for Adrien; for herself.

Alya went first down the exit, then Nino behind her. Marinette stood at the top of the stairs and gazed back at her mother, praying and hoping to be able to see her again.

"I love you, Mama," Marinette whispered as the bookcase began to close up.

"I love you too, Marinette," Sabine responded, letting her tears fall freely now as she cut herself away.

Princess Marinette kept her eyes locked on the back of the wooden bookcase for a few more seconds, letting the heat of adrenaline and uncertainty slowly evaporate off of her.

"Your Highness?"

Nino placed his hand on Marinette's shoulders in comfort, giving her a slight squeeze and letting go.

"Let's get going. Prince Adrien is waiting."

As Marinette turned, she could have sworn she heard a soft light giggle from her backpack, but she shrugged it off as lack of sleep finally getting to her.

Little did she realize, two little gods in her pack gave one another a hug after being separated on that shelf for thousands of years.

It was close to full moon rise before Adrien felt sleep crawling across his eyes. It has been hard to feel relaxed, even in this supposed safe area with the Resistance, knowing that his father could try anything rash at any moment due to Chat Noir's escape.

This plan. This whole situation has, perhaps intentionally, seemed out of control and completely short sided. Hawkmoth was a villain, sure, but why wouldn't he go on ahead and go forward with what he wants? Go on ahead and just burn Creaturae to the ground?

Adrien hated thinking like that, but logic prevailed. It was uninvited, sure, but still necessary for him to think like a villain himself in order to better understand what Hawkmoth might try to do.

The Prince's thoughts drifted him off to a restless sleep, letting a dream overcome him almost instantly.

He was with Marinette, in a different time… a different place. They were dressed strange, although similar at the same time. Side by side, they fought countless foes, until the fateful day that Hawkmoth appeared. He wasn't alone, however. A woman of blue and green, with feathers decorated all over her, guarded the opposing foe like a lioness.

 _The soul is broken_.

Master Fu's words from the journal flashed in his dream, the connecting pieces flowing together.

"ADRIEN!"

A scream, from Marinette? She was running towards him, tears flowing. He was falling, falling deeper into his own personal destructive hell. Her hand was so close but grasping it was like reaching for air.

"MARINETTE!"

Prince Adrien sprang up from his straw mat, sweat pouring down his face. Some children close by stirred at the sudden action, but they did not awaken. With his heart still pumping wildly, Adrien rose up and snuck towards the outside balcony. It was more of a whole in the wall, leading towards the shimmering night glow of the distant palace and the surrounding town of Lower Creaturae.

Marinette would probably be asleep by now, Adrien contemplated. Resting in her cute room, with her nose crunched in worry. Maybe her dress was almost finished, or she still had his rose.

He tried shaking off the dream once more, but a tight feeling remained in his chest.

Something was going to happen.

A group of shouts, and an abrupt scream pierced the night, causing both Adrien and the children within to awaken fully.

"HAWKMOTH IS COMING! HE IS HEADING TOWARDS THE PALACE!"

Panic crowds were forming now, as terror and fear rippled through the whole of Lower Creaturae . In a haste, Adrien gathered up the children and older teens to hurry down the stairs, trying to at least find Andre.

Only Master Wang met him instead.

"Chat Noir, you must leave," the elder man said, addressing the Prince as his alter ego. Adrien let the children get carried off by one of the grandmother figures before addressing the elder man.

Though Adrien was confused he went with it," No, I want to help. I need to help these people!"

" No, my Prince. The Princess needs you. Go. Find her. Follow your heart and you will find her. Head East towards the mountains."

The world began to become a blur, as the Crown Prince of Mortem, dressed as a black cat thief, raced out of the small town just as the forces of darkness were beginning to march in.


End file.
